German submarine U-394 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out two patrols. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft and warships in the Norwegian Sea on 2 September 1944.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-394 had a displacement of 769t when at the surface and 871t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.1m (220.1feet), a pressure hull length of 50.5m (165.7feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaNPS for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-394 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, (220 rounds), one 3.7cm (01.5inches) Flak M42 and two twin 2sp=usNaNsp=us C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
The submarine was laid down on 31 January 1941 at the Howaldtswerke (yard) at Flensburg as yard number 26, launched on 19 June 1943 and commissioned on 7 August under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Ernst-Günther Unterhorst.
The boat was a member of two wolfpacks.
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 7 August 1943 and the 1st flotilla from 1 April 1944. She was reassigned to the 11th flotilla on 1 June.
Her first patrol was preceded by a series of short journey from Kiel in Germany to Arendal (northeast of Kristiansand), Bergen and Narvik in Norway.
The boat departed Narvik on 1 June 1944. She was soon sweeping the Norwegian Sea between Jan Mayen island and the Norwegian mainland. She arrived at Hammerfest on 8 July.
U-394 left Hammerfest on 27 July 1944. She patrolled the Greenland and Barents seas. On 2 September, southeast of Jan Mayen, she was sunk by rockets and depth charges from a Fairey Swordfish of 825 Naval Air Squadron (this aircraft was from the escort carrier), the British destroyers and . The sloops and were also involved.
50 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.
U-394 took part in two wolfpacks, namely: