German_submarine_U-389
German submarine U-389
German World War II submarine
German submarine U-389 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-389 |
| Ordered | 21 November 1940 |
| Builder | Howaldtswerke, Kiel |
| Yard number | 20 |
| Laid down | 3 December 1941 |
| Launched | 19 December 1942 |
| Commissioned | 6 February 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk on 4 October 1943, by a British aircraft southwest of Iceland |
| 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 50 300 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | None |
She carried out one patrol. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft southwest of Iceland on 4 October 1943.[1]
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-389 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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).[2]
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).[2] 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-389 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 two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
The submarine was laid down on 3 December 1941 at the Howaldtswerke (yard) at Flensburg as yard number 20, launched on 19 December 1942 and commissioned on 6 February 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Heilmann.
The boat was a member of one wolfpack.
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 6 February 1943 and the 9th flotilla from 1 August of the same year.
Patrol and loss
After moving briefly between Kiel, Bergen and Trondheim, U-389 set-off from the latter on 18 September 1943. Passing through the gap that separates Iceland and the Faroe Islands, she was attacked and sunk by depth charges dropped from a British Liberator of No. 120 Squadron RAF on 4 October 1943.
50 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.
Previously recorded fate
U-389 was noted as sunk on 5 October 1943 southwest of Iceland in the Denmark Strait by a RAF Liberator of 269 Squadron. This attack accounted for U-336.
Wolfpacks
U-389 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
- Rossbach (24 September – 4 October 1943)
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-389". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- 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.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 389". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-389". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.