German submarine U-397
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-397 |
| Ordered: | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 29 |
| Laid down: | 29 August 1942 |
| Launched: | 6 October 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 20 November 1943 |
| Fate: | Scuttled, May 1945, in northern Germany |
| 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[1] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (20 November 1943–31 May 1944) 7th U-boat Flotilla (1–30 June 1944) 23rd U-boat Flotilla (1 July 1944–19 February 1945) 31st U-boat Flotilla (20 February–5 May 1945) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Fritz Kallipke (20 November 1943–16 July 1944) Oblt.z.S. Friedrich Stege (17 July 1944–25 April 1945) Kptlt. Gerhard Groth (26 April–5 May 1945) |
| Operations: | 8–24 June 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-397 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out one patrol. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was scuttled in northern Germany in May 1945.[2]
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 29 August 1942 at the Howaldtswerke (yard) at Kiel as 'werk' 29, launched on 6 October 1943 and commissioned on 20 November under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Fritz Kallipke.
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 20 November 1943 and the 7th flotilla from 1 June of the same year. She was reassigned to the 23rd flotilla on 1 July 1944, then the 31st flotilla on 20 February 1945.
The boat's first patrol was preceded by the short journey from Kiel in Germany to Stavanger, arriving at the Norwegian port on 2 June 1944.
Patrol
U-397 departed Stavanger on 8 June 1944 and arrived back there on the 26th.
The boat moved back to Kiel on 4 July 1944.
Fate
The submarine was scuttled on 5 May 1945 in Gelting Bay (east of Flensburg).[2]
References
- Notes
- ↑ "The Type VIIC boat U-397 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://uboat.net/boats/u397/htm
- Bibliography
See also
- List of German U-boats
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