German submarine U-363

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Career
Name: U-363
Ordered: 20 January 1941
Builder: Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges, Flensburg
Yard number: 482
Laid down: 23 December 1941
Launched: 17 December 1942
Commissioned: 18 March 1943
Fate: Surrendered, May 1945 at Narvik. Sunk in December as part of Operation Deadlight
General characteristics
Type: Type VIIC submarine
Displacement: 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length: 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a
50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft: 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsion: 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296.
Speed: 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range: 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
150 km (81 nmi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement: 44–52 officers and ratings
Armament: 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern)
14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines
1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds)
Various AA guns
Service record[1][2]
Part of: 8th U-boat Flotilla
(18 March 194331 May 1944)
11th U-boat Flotilla
(1 June14 September 1944)
13th U-boat Flotilla
(15 September 19448 May 1945)
Commanders: Oblt.z.S. Wolf-Werner Wilzer
(18 March 194331 August 1944)
Kptlt. Werner Nees
(1 September8 May 1945)
Operations: 1st patrol:
29 May29 June 1944
2nd patrol:
4 August2 September 1944
3rd patrol:
28 September6 October 1944
4th patrol:
15 October11 November 1944
5th patrol:
28 November8 December 1944
6th patrol:
1231 March 1945
7th patrol:
18 April8 May 1945
Victories: None

German submarine U-363 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 23 December 1941 at the Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges yard at Flensburg as 'werk' 482, launched on 17 December 1942 and commissioned on 18 March 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Wolf-Werner Wilzer.

During her career, the U-boat sailed on seven combat patrols, but sank no ships before she surrendered at Narvik in May 1945. She was sunk in December as part of Operation Deadlight.[1]

She was a member of eight wolfpacks.

Service history

The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in March 1943. She was transferred to the 11th flotilla for operations on 1 June 1944. She was then reassigned to the 13th flotilla on 15 September.

She made a pair of short voyages from Kiel in Germany to Marviken and Bergen in Norway in May 1944.

1st, 2nd and 3rd patrols

The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Bergen on 29 May 1944. She arrived at Bogenbucht (west of Narvik) on 29 June but departed again on 4 August. She finished her second patrol back at Narvik on the 2 September 1944.

U-363 spent her third sortie in the Norwegian Sea.

4th, 5th and 6th patrols

Her fourth foray took her past the North Cape and into the Barents Sea.

For her fifth patrol, she sailed as far as the Kola Inlet, (the entrance to Murmansk).

Patrol number six was preceded by trips between Narvik, Trondheim and Kilbotn, (northwest of Narvik).

7th patrol and fate

U-363's last patrol in April and May 1945 was followed by moves to Skjomenfjord and following the German capitulation, Lerwick and Loch Eriboll in Scotland in preparation for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk on 31 December 1945 by the guns of HMS Onslaught and ORP Blyskawica.[3]

See also

  • List of German U-boats

References

Notes
  1. 1.0 1.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-363". uboat.net. Retrieved 30 August 2012. 
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-363". uboat.net. Retrieved 30 August 2012. 
  3. http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0363html U-363 at u-boot-archiv.de
Bibliography

Coordinates: 55°45′N 8°18′W / 55.750°N 8.300°W / 55.750; -8.300

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