German submarine U-354

Last updated

History
War ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svg Nazi Germany
NameU-354
Ordered9 October 1939
Builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg
Yard number473
Laid down15 April 1940
Launched10 January 1942
Commissioned22 April 1942
FateSunk by British warships in the Barents Sea on 24 August 1944 [1]
General characteristics
Class and type Type VIIC submarine
Displacement
Length
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power
  • 2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels)
  • 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
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)
Complement4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament
Service record [2] [3]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 46 036
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Herbschleb
  • 22 April 1942 – 22 February 1944
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Sthamer
  • 22 February – 24 August 1944
Operations:
  • 11 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 29 October – 30 November 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • a. 19 December 1942 – 15 January 1943
  • b. 18 – 20 January 1943
  • 3rd patrol:
  • a. 11 March – 4 April 1943
  • b. 28 – 30 April 1943
  • 4th patrol:
  • a. 9 May – 12 June 1943
  • b. 13 – 15 June 1943
  • c. 25 – 27 July 1943
  • 5th patrol:
  • 4 August – 22 September 1943
  • 6th patrol:
  • a. 22 – 23 October 1943
  • b. 25 October – 6 December 1943
  • 7th patrol:
  • a. 7 December 1943 – 1 January 1944
  • b. 3 – 4 January 1944
  • c. 2 – 5 March 1944
  • 8th patrol:
  • 8 March – 12 April 1944
  • 9th patrol:
  • a. 18 April – 3 May 1944
  • b. 6 – 10 May 1944
  • c. 24 – 28 June 1944
  • 10th patrol:
  • a. 30 June – 3 July 1944
  • b. 4 – 28 July 1944
  • 11th patrol:
  • 21 – 24 August 1944
Victories:
  • 1 merchant ship sunk
    (7,176  GRT)
  • 1 warship sunk
    (1,300 tons)
  • 1 warship total loss
    (11,420 tons)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (3,771  GRT)

German submarine U-354 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Contents

She carried out 11 patrols before being sunk in the Barents Sea by British warships on 24 August 1944.

She sank one merchant ship and one warship, damaged a merchant vessel and caused a warship to be declared a total loss.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-354 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. [4] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft). [4]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph). [4] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-354 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty. [4]

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 15 April 1940 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg as yard number 473, launched on 10 January 1942 and commissioned on 22 April under the command of Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Herbschleb.

U-354 served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla, for training and then with the 1st flotilla for operations from 1 October 1942. She came under the command of the 11th flotilla on 15 October and was reassigned to the 13th flotilla on 1 June 1943; she stayed with that organization until her sinking.

U-348 made short trips from Kiel in Germany to Bergen and Skjomenfjord in Norway between April and October 1942.

First and second patrols

Her first patrol began with her departure from Skjomenfjord on 29 October 1942. On 4 November she sank the William Clark off Jan Mayen Island. This ship had already possibly been damaged by bombs from Ju 88 aircraft. A crewman was lost overboard on the 11th. The boat put into Narvik on the 30th.

The submarine's second foray over Christmas and New Year's Eve took her from Narvik, as far as Bear Island and back to Narvik.

Third and fourth patrols

U-354's third patrol was marred by the suicide of Maschinenmaat Helmut Richter on 12 March 1943.

Her fourth sortie took the boat north of Bear Island; she returned to Narvik on 12 June 1943.

Fifth patrol

It was during this patrol that she attacked and damaged the Soviet Petrovskij in the eastern Kara Sea on 27 August 1943.

Sixth patrol

This patrol was split in two: the first part, which was rather brief, was over 22 and 23 October 1943. The second part was longer; between 25 October and 6 December. The boat finished up in Hammerfest in the far north of Norway.

Seventh, eighth and ninth patrols

U-354 continued to patrol northern waters, without success.

Tenth patrol

By now moored in Bogenbucht (west of Narvik), the next sally was also divided in two. The boat sailed west of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, [5] but targets continued to elude her.

Eleventh patrol and loss

In August 1944 U-354 was deployed to search for Murmansk convoy JW 59. On 22 August, northwest of the North Cape, she encountered a carrier group involved in Operation Goodwood, an air attack on the battleship Tirpitz. U-354 damaged the escort carrier Nabob with a FAT torpedo, but a second shot, intended as a 'coup de grâce', hit the frigate Bickerton which was subsequently abandoned and scuttled. Nabob was recovered to Scapa Flow, but declared to be a total loss.

Two days later, on 24 August, U-354 found the convoy but was sunk by its escort group, comprising the sloops Mermaid and Peacock, the frigate Loch Dunvegan and the destroyer Keppel.

Wolfpacks

U-354 took part in nine wolfpacks, namely:

Previously recorded fate

U-354 was originally thought to have been sunk by a Fairey Swordfish of No. 825 Naval Air Squadron from the escort carrier HMS Vindex on 22 August 1944. This was U-344.

Summary of raiding history

DateShip NameNationalityTonnage [Note 1] Fate [6]
4 November 1942 William Clark Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States 7,176Sunk
27 August 1943 Petrovskij Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 3,771Damaged
22 August 1944 HMS Bickerton Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 1,300Sunk
22 August 1944 HMS Nabob Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 11,420Total loss

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. ↑ Kemp 1999, p. 214.
  2. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-354". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-348". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
  5. ↑ The Times Atlas of the World – Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN   0 7230 0809 4, p. 22
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-354". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

Bibliography

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