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German submarine U-390

Coordinates: 49°52′N 0°48′W / 49.867°N 0.800°W / 49.867; -0.800
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History
Nazi Germany
NameU-390
Ordered21 November 1940
BuilderHowaldtswerke, Kiel
Yard number21
Laid down6 December 1941
Launched23 January 1943
Commissioned13 March 1943
FateSunk by British warships in the Baie de la Seine in the English Channel, July 1944[1][2]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType VIIC submarine
Displacementlist error: <br /> list (help)
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Lengthlist error: <br /> list (help)
67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a
50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beamlist error: <br /> list (help)
6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draft4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsionlist error: <br /> list (help)
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 PS (2,800–3,200 bhp; 2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × GL RP 137/c electric motors, totalling 750 PS (740 shp; 550 kW) and max rpm: 296.
Speedlist error: <br /> list (help)
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Rangelist error: <br /> list (help)
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 depthlist error: <br /> list (help)
230 m (750 ft)
Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement44–52 officers and ratings
Armamentlist error: mixed text and list (help)
Service record[2][4]
Part of: list error: <br /> list (help)
5th U-boat Flotilla
(13 March–30 November 1943)
7th U-boat Flotilla
(1 December 1943–5 July 1944)
Commanders: list error: <br /> list (help)
Oblt.z.S. Heinz Geissler
(13 March 1943–5 July 1944)
Operations: list error: <br /> list (help)
1st patrol:
a. 2 December–5 December 1943
b. 7 December 1943–13 February 1944
2nd patrol:
21–24 June 1943
3rd patrol:
27 June–5 July 1944
Victories: list error: <br /> list (help)
one commercial ship sunk, (7,934 GRT)
one auxiliary warship sunk (545 tons)

German submarine U-390 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out three patrols before being sunk by British warships in July 1944 in the English Channel.

She was a member of four wolfpacks.

She sank one auxiliary warship of 545 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged a merchant ship of 7,934 GRT.

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 6 December 1941 at the Howaldtswerke yard at Kiel as yard number 21, launched on 23 January 1943 and commissioned on 13 March under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Geissler.

1st patrol

The boat's first patrol was divided into two parts; the first part was brief. It started in Kiel and terminated in Bergen. Part two began in Bergen on 7 December 1942 and took in the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The submarine then docked at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 13 February 1944.

2nd patrol

U-390's second foray was relatively uneventful; starting from St. Nazaire but finishing further north, at Brest.

3rd patrol and loss

The U-boat's third and final sortie began three weeks after the Normandy landings. She attacked and sank the British anti-submarine trawler HMS Ganilly. She also damaged the Sea Porpoise about 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) off Utah beach; both on 5 July 1944. On the same day, she was sunk by depth charges dropped by two other British ships: the destroyer HMS Wanderer and the frigate HMS Tavy.

Forty-eight men died in U-390; there was one survivor.

Wolfpacks

U-390 took part in four wolfpacks, namely.

  • Coronel 2 (15–17 December 1943)
  • Rügen 3 (23 December 1943 - 7 January 1944)
  • Rügen (7–26 January 1944)
  • Stürmer (26 January - 3 February 1944)

Summary of raiding career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)
Fate[5]
5 July 1944 HMT Ganilly  Royal Navy 545 Sunk
5 July 1944 Sea Porpoise  United States 7,934 Damaged

References

  1. ^ Kemp 1999, p. 201.
  2. ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-390". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. ^ Gröner 1985, pp. 72–74.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-390". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-390". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 October 2013.

Bibliography

  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher (in German). Vol. III. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

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