  NGC 4441 is a candidate for a merger between a spiral and an elliptical
galaxy (S+E merger), because it shows typical tidal structures such as an
optical tail and two shells. With a far-infrared luminosity of $\sim 5\cdot
10^9 L_{\odot}$ this galaxy belongs to the class of moderate luminosity
mergers, in which the merging process induces (if at all) only a moderate
starburst. The study of the atomic gas content allows us to investigate the
merger history and the impact on the star formation. In particular, it is not
clear from simulations whether an S+E merger leads to a gas concentration in
the nucleus, resulting in a starburst, or whether the gas is spread out and
therefore too diffuse for new star forming regions. We used the Westerbork
Radio Synthesis Telescope to observe the properties of the HI. By using this
interferometer, we are able to study the large-scale HI distribution and
kinematics with high spatial and velocity resolution. We found two HI tails
extending out to more than 40 kpc. In a central disc, the gas shows a fairly
regular rotation pattern indicating that the gas started to settle after the
merger. The total HI mass adds up to $1.5 \cdot 10^9 M_{\odot}$. By comparing
the high resolution HI maps with deep optical images, differences between the
stellar and gaseous tidal features are apparent, which indicates an S+E merger
origin.
