German submarine U-398
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-398 |
| Ordered: | 20th of January, 1941 |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft |
| Laid down: | 6th of November, 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 18th of December, 1943 |
| Fate: |
Went missing after 17 April 1945 in the North Sea or possibly the Arctic Ocean, position and cause unknown. |
| 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 |
German submarine U-398 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. The U-boat was laid down at the Howaldswerke in Kiel on 26 August 1942, launched on 6 November 1943 and commissioned on 18 December of that same year, under Korvettenkapitän Johan Reckhoff. He was replaced by Oberleutnant zur See Wilhelm Kranz on 8 November 1944.
The boat served initially with the 5th U-boat Flotilla, a training organization, between 18 December 1943 and 31 July 1944, before moving over to the operational 3rd flotilla between 1 August and 31 October 1944 and the 33rd flotilla between 1 November 1944 and her loss.
Operational history
U-388 carried out two patrols, the first, commencing on 23 August 1944, took her as far as the west coast of Ireland; starting from Horten in Norway and finishing with her arrival in Bergen on 15 October. A total of 54 days were spent at sea. It was uneventful.
Her second patrol ended abruptly after just four days in April 1945. She vanished without trace in either the North Sea or possibly the Arctic Ocean. The cause for her disappearance remains unknown.
References
External links
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