German submarine U-889
 Surrender of U-889 near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 13 May 1945 | |
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-889 |
| Ordered: | 2 April 1942 |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number: | Werk 1097 |
| Laid down: | 13 September 1943 |
| Launched: | 5 April 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 4 August 1944 |
| Fate: |
Surrendered, 13 May 1945 Scuttled, 1947 |
| Career (Canada) |  |
| Acquired: | 14 May 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | December 1945 |
| Fate: | transferred to the US Navy |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Class & type: | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement: |
1,144 t (1,126 long tons), surfaced[1] 1,257 t (1,237 long tons), submerged |
| Length: | 237 ft 2.15 in (72.2922 m)[1] |
| Beam: | 22 ft 8.25 in (6.9152 m)[1] |
| Draft: | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)[2] |
| Speed: |
18.3 knots (33.9 km/h), surfaced[1] 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h), submerged |
| Endurance: |
16,800 nautical miles @ 10 knots, surfaced (31,100 km @ 19 km/h)[1] 63 nautical miles @ 4 knots, submerged (117 km @ 7.4 km/h)[1] |
| Test depth: | 330 feet (100 m)[1] |
| Complement: | 48 (standard)[1] |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
|
| Armament: |
6 × 21 in (53.3 cm) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)[2] 19 torpedoes, std. (22 max.)[1] 1 × 4.1 in (10 cm) deck gun (180 rounds) Twin 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U 2 x 20 mm (0.79 in) twin flak gun (8,500 rounds) |
| Notes: | 35-second diving time[1] |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (August 1944–March 1945) 33rd U-boat Flotilla (March–May 1945) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Friedrich Braeucker (August 1944–May 1945) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 5 April–13 May 1945 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-889 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
U-889 was laid down on 13 September 1943 at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen and was commissioned on 4 August 1944, with 'Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant) Friedrich Braeucker as commander. Until 14 March 1945 she was attached to 4th U-boat Flotilla for training. She was then assigned to 33rd U-boat Flotilla, a combat unit based at Flensburg. Her first, and only, active patrol started on 15 March 1945. She sank no vessels before the war ended and subsequently surrendered to a Canadian patrol.
Armament
FLAK weaponry
U-889 was mounted with the rare Twin 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U on the LM42U mount. This was one of the best AA weapons used by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. It was mainly used on the Type IX as it was rather heavy for the Type VII U-boats.
-
Twin 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U on the LM42U mount
Sensors
Radar
Radar Detection
U-889 was fixed with the FuMB-26 Tunis antenne.
-
FuMB-26 Tunis Radar Detection.
Surrender
After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, the German High Command ordered all U-boats to surrender. On the afternoon of 10 May, U-889 was spotted south of Newfoundland by a RCAF airplane, steaming at 10 knots and flying a black flag of surrender. The RCAF plane radioed to nearby Western Escort Force W-6 who intercepted the submarine an hour later. U-889 was ordered to head to Bay Bulls, Newfoundland. 24 hours later U-889 was turned over to the frigates HMCS Buckingham and HMCS Inch Arran who escorted her to Shelburne Harbour where she was boarded and Braeucker, her Commanding Officer, made a formal surrender.
On May 14, 1945 U-889 was commissioned into the RCN and decommissioned in December 1945.
U-889 was one of ten U-boats allocated to the United States as part of the Tripartite Naval Commission sitting in Berlin in November 1945. She sailed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 11 January 1946 and experiments were conducted on her special hydrophone gear. She was scuttled at the end of 1947.
See also
- German submarine U-190 - also captured and commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy
- Military history of Nova Scotia
References
- uboat.net : U-899
- Brief History of HMCS ROCKCLIFFE
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