German submarine U-366
History | |
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Name | U-366 |
Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
Builder | Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg |
Yard number | 485 |
Laid down | 22 May 1942 |
Launched | 16 April 1943 |
Commissioned | 16 July 1943 |
Fate | Sunk on 5 March 1944 |
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[1] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 53 317 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-366 was a
.She carried out two patrols. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was a member of three wolfpacks.
She was sunk by a British aircraft, Swordfish "F" of 816 Squadron FAA, northwest of
Design
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).
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 22 May 1942 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg as yard number 485, launched on 16 April 1943 and commissioned on 16 July under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Bruno Langenberg.
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 16 July 1943 and the 13th flotilla from 1 March 1944.
The boat was moved from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway in February 1944.
First patrol
U-359's first patrol took her from Bergen to Hammerfest, along the Norwegian coastline, also in February.
Second patrol and loss
During another move from Hammerfest, she was attacked and sunk on 5 March 1944 by rockets fired from a Fairey Swordfish of 816 Naval Air Squadron, FAA (Fleet Air Arm). The aircraft had flown from the escort carrier HMS Chaser.[1]
50 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.[3]
Wolfpacks
U-366 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:
- Hartmut (23 – 28 February 1944)
- Boreas (4 – 5 March 1944)
- Orkan (5 March 1944)
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). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (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-366". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 366". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.