German submarine U-385
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-385 |
Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
Builder | Howaldtswerke, Kiel |
Yard number | 16 |
Laid down | 16 May 1941 |
Launched | 8 July 1942 |
Commissioned | 29 August 1942 |
Fate | Sunk by a British warship and an Australian aircraft on 11 August 1944, in the Bay of Biscay[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 50 427 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-385 was a
.She carried out two patrols. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British warship and an Australian aircraft in the Bay of Biscay on 11 August 1944.[2]
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
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 29 August 1942 and the 6th flotilla from 1 March 1944.
The boat was moved from Kiel to Marviken in March 1944.
First patrol
U-385's first patrol took her from Marviken to
.Second patrol and loss
The boat left St. Nazaire on 9 August 1944. On the 11th, whilst still in the Bay of Biscay, she was sunk by depth charges dropped by an Australian Sunderland flying boat of No. 461 Squadron RAAF (captained by pilot officer Ivan Southall) and the British sloop HMS Starling[2] captained by Cdr. NW Duck.
One man died in the U-boat; there were 42 survivors.[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). 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-385". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.