German submarine U-352
 Kapitänleutnant Rathke painted this watercolor of U-352 while held as a POW |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-352 |
| Ordered: | 9 October 1939 |
| Builder: | Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg |
| Yard number: | 471 |
| Laid down: | 11 March 1940 |
| Launched: | 7 May 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 28 August 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 9 May 1942 |
| 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 M6V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296. |
| Speed: | 17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged |
| Range: | 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: | • 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × C35 88mm/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: | 3rd U-boat Flotilla (28 August 1941–9 May 1942) |
| Commanders: | Kptlt. Hellmut Rathke (28 August 1941–9 May 1942) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 15 January–26 February 1942 2nd patrol: 7 April–9 May 1942 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-352 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 March 1940 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg, launched on 7 May 1941, and commissioned on 28 August 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke, attached to 3rd U-boat Flotilla, and was ready for front-line service by 1 January 1942.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Service history
[edit] 1st patrol
U-352 left Kiel on 15 January 1942, and arrived at Bergen on the 19th.[2] She left the next day and patrolled south of Iceland without success before sailing to her new home port at Saint-Nazaire by 26 February.[3]
[edit] 2nd patrol
U-352 left St. Nazaire on 7 April 1942 and sailed across the Atlantic to the coast of the north-eastern United States.[4] There on 9 May 1942, she was sunk by depth charges from the US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Icarus, south of Morehead City, North Carolina, in position 34°21′N 76°35′W / 34.35°N 76.583°WCoordinates: 34°21′N 76°35′W / 34.35°N 76.583°W.[1]. Fifteen of the crew were lost, but 33 survived, and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners of war.[1]
[edit] Dive site
The U-352 lies in about 100 feet (30 m) of water, and sits at a 45-degree list to starboard. This wreck is a popular scuba diving spot for advanced divers. A replica of the wreck is on display at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
[edit] Heinz Richter
Heinz Karl Richter, a Maschinengefreiter (equivalent of a Fireman 3rd Class) who survived the sinking, was found living in Canada and was interviewed for Discovery Channel's special coverage of U-352. He said that Captain Rathke was obsessed with receiving a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross medal for sinking 100,000 tonnes worth of enemy ships. Richter said that the captain's obsession eventually led to recklessness, ultimately resulting in the ship's sinking. Richter also said he was the last man out of the boat before it sank; those still on board were already dead, or perished in the boat as it sank.
[edit] Survivors
According to documents from the Naval Department, the following are survivors of the sinking:
| Name | Rank | US Navy equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rathke, Hellmut | Kapitänleutnant | Lieutenant | |
| Bernard, Oskar | Leutnant z. S. (Sonderführer) | Ensign | |
| Kammerer, Ernst | Fähnrich z. S. | Midshipman | |
| Daehn, Arthur | Bootsmaat | Coxswain | |
| Neitsch, Hans | Bootsmaat | Coxswain | |
| Richter, Helmut H. | Bootsmaat | Coxswain | |
| Kruger, Kurt | Funkmaat | Radioman 3 cl. | |
| Sorg, Ludwig | Funkmaat | Radioman 3 cl. | |
| Bollmann, Heinrich | Obermaschinist | Machinist | |
| Grandke, Walter | Obermaschinist | Machinist | |
| Brand, August Michael | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Reussel, Gerd | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Schwarzenberger, Heinz | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Thönnissen, Kurt H. | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Wesche, Martin Wilhelm | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Wessoly, Lothar | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. | |
| Rusch, Gerhard | Maschinenobergefreiter | Fireman 2 cl. | |
| Stengel, Otto | Maschinenobergefreiter | Fireman 2 cl. | |
| Minzker, Johann | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. | |
| Richter, Heinz Karl | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. | |
| Twirdy, Heinrich | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. | |
| Heinze, Hans | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Henschke, Otto | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Hering, Gerhard | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Herrschaft, Edgar | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Kominek, Franz | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Mattiz, Hans | Funkgefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Pickel, Erhard | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Richter, Gerhard | Maschinengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Thiele, Rudolf | Mechanikergefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. | |
| Link, Wilhelm | Matrose | Apprentice Seaman | |
| Staron, Edmund | Matrose | Apprentice Seaman | |
| TOTAL: | 33 | [5] |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "The Type VIIC U-boat U-352". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u352.htm. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ a b "War Patrols by German U-boat U-352". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u352.html. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-352 from 20 Jan 1942 to 26 Feb 1942". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_5020.html. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-352 from 7 Apr 1942 to 9 May 1942". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_5021.html. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "U-boat Archive : FINAL REPORT OF INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM U-352 SUNK BY U.S.C.G. ICARUS ON MAY 9, 1942". uboatarchive.net. http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-352INT.htm. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
[edit] External links
- U-352 at ubootwaffe.net
- U-352 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
- Warships of World War II German U-352
- History Channel TV Show about U-352
- U.S. Coast Guard History: U-352
- U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries exploration of U-352
