German submarine U-879

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-879
Ordered	2 April 1942
Builder	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	1087
Laid down	26 June 1943
Launched	11 January 1944
Commissioned	19 April 1944
Fate	Sunk by US warships in position 36°34′N 74°00′W / 36.567°N 74.000°W on 30 April 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced; 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a; 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced; 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged;
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 AA gun; 2 x twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla; 19 April 1944 – 31 January 1945; 33rd U-boat Flotilla; 1 February – 30 April 1945;
Identification codes:	M 00 832
Commanders:	Kptlt. Erwin Manchen; 19 April 1944 – 30 April 1945;
Operations:	1 patrol:; 11 February – 30 April 1945;
Victories:	1 merchant ship damaged ; (8,537 GRT)

German submarine U-879 was a

Type IXC/40 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II

.

Design

supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).^[1]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).

2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[1]

Service history

U-879 was ordered on 2 April 1942 from

yard number 1087. Her keel was laid down on 26 June 1943 and the U-boat was launched the following year on 11 January 1944. She was commissioned into service under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erwin Manchen (Crew 36) in 4th U-boat Flotilla

.

U-879 was transferred to 33rd U-boat Flotilla after completing training and working up for deployment. She left her base in Horten Naval Base on 9 February 1945 for operations off the US east coast. Since another U-boat, U-857 was operating at the same time in the vicinity, it is not clear, which ships were attacked U-879 or the other U-boat, which is missing. The US tanker Atlantic States was probably hit and damaged on 5 April 1945, while the Belgian steamer Belgian Airman and the US tanker Swiftscout may have been sunk by U-879 on 14 and 18 April respectively. The Norwegian tanker Katy might have been hit and damaged on 23 April.^[2]

Late on 29 April, a U-boat was picked up by escorts of convoy KN 382. USS Natchez tried to ram her but missed. Natchez with three more escorts, USS Coffman, USS Thomas, and USS Bostwick, chased the contact for several hours with depth charges and a hedgehog anti-submarine weapon. In the early hours of 30 April, a strong explosion was heard and the contact disappeared. Only in 1968 a wreck was discovered, confirming the sinking of a U-boat. It is assumed that the U-boat in question was U-879, but there are indicators that it might have been U-857 instead.^[3]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage ( GRT )	Fate^[4]
5 April 1945	Atlantic States	United States	8,537	Damaged

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
^ Busch & Röll 2001, p. 304.
^ Busch & Röll 1999, p. 346-7.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-879". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2014.

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
.

Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2001). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Erfolge von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat successes from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. III. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler.
ISBN 3-8132-0513-4
.

Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press.
ISBN 0-85177-593-4
.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 U-boat U-879". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 879". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2015.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199168-1] Gröner 1991, p. 68.

[FOOTNOTEBuschRöll2001304-2] Busch & Röll 2001, p. 304.

[FOOTNOTEBuschRöll1999346-7-3] Busch & Röll 1999, p. 346-7.

[4] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-879". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2014.

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