German submarine ''U-361'' 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 ...

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's '' Kriegsmarine'' during

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. She carried out three patrols. She did not sink or damage any ships. She was a member of six wolfpacks. She was sunk by a British aircraft west of Narvik on 17 July 1944.

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-361'' 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-361'' 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

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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 12 September 1941 at the

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company trades as ''Flensburger'' and is commonly abbreviated ''FSG''. History ''Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft'' was founded in 1872 by a group of ...

yard at Flensburg as yard number 480, launched on 9 September 1942 and commissioned on 18 December under the command of ''

Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...

'' Hans Seidel. She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 18 December 1942 and the 11th flotilla from 1 March 1944.

First patrol

''U-359''s first patrol took her 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 Narvik in Norway.

Second patrol

Her second foray was toward Bear Island in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

, then into 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 ...

Third patrol and loss

''U-361'' left Narvik for the last time on 27 June 1944. On 17 July, she was sunk by depth charges dropped by a British

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flying boat of No. 210 Squadron RAF. The pilot, Flying Officer

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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 ...

. 52 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.

Previously recorded fate

''U-361'' was originally noted as sunk on 17 July 1944 by a British B-24 Liberator of 86 Squadron. This attack sank .

Wolfpacks

''U-361'' took part in six wolfpacks, namely: * Boreas (29 February – 10 March 1944) * Thor (10 – 26 March 1944) * Blitz (2 – 5 April 1944) * Keil (5 – 20 April 1944) * Donner & Keil (20 – 23 April 1944) * Trutz (28 June – 10 July 1944)

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0361 German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1942 U-boats sunk in 1944 U-boats sunk by British aircraft U-boats sunk by depth charges 1942 ships Ships built in Flensburg Ships lost with all hands World War II submarines of Germany World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea Maritime incidents in July 1944