German submarine U-390

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Career
Name: U-390
Ordered: 21 November 1940
Builder: Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Yard number: 21
Laid down: 6 December 1941
Launched: 23 January 1943
Commissioned: 13 March 1943
Fate: Sunk by British warships in the Baie de la Seine in the English Channel, July 1944[1][2]
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 × GL RP 137/c 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[3][4]
Part of: 5th U-boat Flotilla
(13 March30 November 1943)
7th U-boat Flotilla
(1 December 19435 July 1944)
Commanders: Oblt.z.S. Heinz Geissler
(13 March 19435 July 1944)
Operations: 1st patrol:
a. 2 December5 December 1943
b. 7 December 194313 February 1944
2nd patrol:
2124 June 1943
3rd patrol:
27 June5 July 1944
Victories: one commercial ship sunk, (7,934 GRT)
one auxiliary warship sunk (545 tons)

German submarine U-390 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out three patrols before being sunk by British warships in July 1944 in the English Channel.

She was a member of four wolfpacks.

She sank one auxilary warship of 545 GRT and damaged a merchant ship of 7,934 GRT.

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 6 December 1941 at the Howaldtswerke yard at Kiel as 'werk' 21, launched on 23 January 1943 and commissioned on 13 March under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Geissler.

1st patrol

The boat's first patrol was divided into two parts; the first part was brief. It started in Kiel and terminated in Bergen. Part two began in Bergen on 7 December 1942 and took in the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The submarine then docked at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 13 February 1944.

2nd patrol

U-390's second foray was relatively uneventful; starting from St. Nazaire but finishing further north, at Brest.

3rd patrol and loss

The U-boat's third and final sortie began three weeks after the Normandy landings. She attacked and sank the British anti-submarine trawler HMS Ganilly. She also damaged the Sea Porpoise about 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) off Utah beach; both on 5 July 1944. On the same day, she was sunk by depth charges dropped by two other British ships: the destroyer HMS Wanderer and the frigate HMS Tavy.

Forty-eight men died in U-390; there was one survivor.

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)
Fate[5]
5 July 1944 HMT Ganilly  Royal Navy 545 Sunk
5 July 1944 Sea Porpoise  United States 7,934 Damaged

See also

  • List of German U-boats

References

Notes
  1. Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 201
  2. "The Type VIIC boat U-390 - German U-boats of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 2013-10-13. 
  3. "The Type VIIC boat U-390 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 8 September 2012. 
  4. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-390 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 8 September 2012. 
  5. "Ships hit by U-390 - U-boat Successes - German U-boats". uboat.net. 1944-07-05. Retrieved 2013-10-13. 
Bibliography


Coordinates: 49°52′N 0°48′W / 49.867°N 0.800°W / 49.867; -0.800

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