German submarine U-357
History | |
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Name | U-357 |
Ordered | 26 October 1939 |
Builder | Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg |
Yard number | 476 |
Laid down | 19 May 1940 |
Launched | 31 March 1942 |
Commissioned | 18 June 1942 |
Fate | Sunk by British warships on 26 December 1942, northwest of Ireland[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 06 392 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-357 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II and was sunk by British warships northwest of Ireland on 26 December 1942 on her first operational patrol.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-357 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] 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 460/8-276 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).[3]
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).[3] 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-357 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.[3]
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 19 May 1940 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg as yard number 476, launched on 31 March 1942 and commissioned on 18 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Adolf Kellner.
She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 18 June 1942 and the 6th flotilla from 1 December.
Fate
U-357 was sunk by depth charges dropped from the British destroyers HMS Hesperus and Vanessa on 26 December 1942 northwest of Ireland.[1][4]
36 men died; six survived.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- 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-357". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 357". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.