German submarine ''U-347'' was a
Type VIIC U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's ''
Kriegsmarine'' during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
She was a member of three
wolfpacks.
She was on her fourth patrol when she was sunk by a British aircraft on 17 July 1944.
She sank or damaged no ships.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
were preceded by the shorter
Type VIIB submarines. ''U-347'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a
pressure hull
A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...
length of , a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , a height of , and a
draught of . The submarine was powered by two
Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder
supercharged diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s producing a total of for use while surfaced, two
AEG GU 460/8–27
double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two
propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-347'' was fitted with five
torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
es, one
SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin
C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a
complement
A complement is something that completes something else.
Complement may refer specifically to:
The arts
* Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave
** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...
of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history
The submarine was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
on 19 October 1942 at the
Nordseewerke
Nordseewerke Emden GmbH (sometimes abbreviated NSWE, in English: North Sea Company) was a shipbuilding company, located in the Emden Harbor of the north German city of Emden. Founded in 1903, shipbuilding ended in 2010, and the company was taken ...
yard at
Emden as yard number 219,
launched on 21 May 1943 and
commissioned on 7 July under the command of ''
Oberleutnant zur See
''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the '' Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO.
The rank was introduced in the Imp ...
'' Johahn de Buhr.
''U-347'' served with the
8th U-boat Flotilla, for training and the
9th flotilla for operations from 1 March 1944. She was reassigned to the
11th flotilla on 1 June 1944.
First patrol
''U-347'' had sailed from
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
in Germany to
Stavanger in Norway March 1944, but her first patrol began when she departed Stavanger on 9 May. She arrived at
Narvik on the 13th.
Second patrol
Her second foray began on 15 May 1944 when she departed Narvik (a port she would use as a base for the rest of her career), for the
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...
. She returned on 8 June.
Third patrol
''U-347'' departed Narvik on 23 June 1944; she returned the same day.
Fourth patrol and loss
The boat had departed Narvik on 3 July 1944. On the 17th, she was sunk by a
B-24 Liberator of
No. 86 Squadron RAF.
Forty-nine men died in the U-boat's sinking; there were no survivors.
Previously recorded fate
''U-347'' was thought to have been sunk on 17 July 1944 west of Narvik by a British
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...
of
No. 210 Squadron RAF. The pilot, Flying Officer
John Cruickshank
John Alexander Cruickshank VC (born 20 May 1920) is a Scottish former banker, former Royal Air Force officer, and a Second World War recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awa ...
, was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
for sinking .
Wolfpacks
''U-347'' took part in three
wolfpacks, namely:
* Trutz (15 – 31 May 1944)
* Grimm (31 May – 6 June 1944)
* Trutz (5 – 10 July 1944)
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:U0347
German Type VIIC submarines
U-boats commissioned in 1943
U-boats sunk in 1944
U-boats sunk by British aircraft
U-boats sunk by depth charges
World War II submarines of Germany
World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea
1943 ships
Ships built in Emden
Ships lost with all hands
Maritime incidents in July 1944