German submarine U-384
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-384 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 15 |
| Laid down: | 29 March 1941 |
| Launched: | 28 May 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 18 July 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a British aircraft, in March 1943, west of Malin Head[1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and 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 |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| 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: | 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) 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: |
|
| Service record[3] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (18 July–19 December 1942) 3rd U-boat Flotilla (1 January–19 March 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Hans-Achim von Rosenberg-Gruszcynski (18 July 1942–19 March 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 12 December 1942–3 February 1943 2nd patrol: 6 March–19 March 1943 |
| Victories: | Two ships sunk; 13,407 GRT |
German submarine U-384 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out two patrols. She sank two ships.
She was a member of three wolfpacks.
She was sunk by a British aircraft southwest of Iceland in March 1943.
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 29 March 1941 at the Howaldtswerke at Kiel as yard number 15, launched on 28 May 1942 and commissioned on 18 July under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Achim von Rosenberg-Gruszcynski.
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 18 July 1942 and the 3rd flotilla from 1 January 1943.
1st patrol
U-359 's first patrol took her from Kiel in Germany on 12 December 1942. She sank the Louise Lykes in mid-Atlantic on 9 January 1943. She then docked at La Pallice in occupied France on 3 February.
2nd patrol and loss
Having left La Pallice on 6 March 1943, she sank the Coracero on the 17th. On the 19th, she was sunk by a British B-17 Flying Fortress of No. 206 Squadron RAF.
47 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.[1]
Previously recorded fate
U-361 was originally noted as sunk on 20 March 1943 by a British Sunderland flying boat of 201 Squadron. This attack was against U-631.[3] No damage was sustained.
Wolfpacks
U-384 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.
- Falke (28 December 1942 - 19 January 1943)
- Landsknecht (19–26 January 1943)
- Stürmer (11–19 March 1943)
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Displacement | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 January 1943 | Louise Lykes |  United States |
6,155 | Sunk |
| 17 March 1943 | Coracero |  United Kingdom |
7,252 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp 1999, p. 107.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-384". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-384". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-384". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- U-384 at ubootwaffe.net