German submarine U-870
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-870 |
| Ordered: | 25 August 1941 |
| Builder: | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number: | 1078 |
| Laid down: | 29 April 1943 |
| Launched: | 29 October 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 3 February 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 30 March 1945 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (3 February 1944 - 30 September 1944) - Training 33rd U-boat Flotilla (1 October 1944 - 30 March 1945) |
| Commanders: |
K.Kapt. Ernst Hechler (3 February 1944 - 30 March 1945) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 10 November 1944 – 20 February 1945 |
| Victories: |
2 merchant ships sunk (11,844 GRT) 2 warships sunk (1,960 tons) 1 warship damaged (1,400 tons) |
German submarine U-870 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during the Second World War. She was ordered on 25 August 1941, and laid down on 29 April 1943 at Bremen in Germany. She was launched on 29 October 1943 and commissioned on 3 February 1944.
Service History
For her two patrols, she had one commander, Korvettenkapitän Ernst Hechler, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Over her career she claimed two warships sunk, total tonnage 1,960 tons, one warship damaged for a total tonnage 1,400 tons, and two ships a total loss, total tonnage 11,844 gross register tons (GRT).[2] On 20 December 1944, U-870 attacked a small group of landing ships, damaging USS Fogg and sinking the 1,625 ton vessel USS LST-359.[3] The U-boat was then attacked by a British aircraft from No. 220 Squadron RAF but got away, also evading two hunter-killer groups of vessels.[2]
Fate
She was sunk on 30 March 1945 at Bremen by US bombs.[2]
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 December 1944 | USS Fogg |  United States Navy |
1,400 | Damaged at 43°02′N 19°19′W / 43.033°N 19.317°W |
| 20 December 1944 | USS LST-359 | United States Navy |
1,188 | Sunk at 42°04′N 19°08′W / 42.067°N 19.133°W |
| 3 January 1945 | Henry Miller | United States |
7,207 | Sunk at 35°51′N 06°24′W / 35.850°N 6.400°W |
| 9 January 1945 | FFL L´Enjoue |  Free French Naval Forces |
335 | Sunk at 35°56′N 05°49′W / 35.933°N 5.817°W |
| 10 January 1945 | Blackheath |  United Kingdom |
4,637 | Sunk at 35°49′N 06°03′W / 35.817°N 6.050°W |
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-870". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ↑
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.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-870". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
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