German Submarine U-845

German submarine ''U-845'' was a Type IXC/40 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' during World War II.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. ''U-845'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 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-845'' was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.

Service history

''U-845'' was ordered on 20 January 1941 from DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen under the yard number 1051. Her keel was laid down on 20 June 1942. The U-boat was launched the following year on 18 January 1943. she was commissioned into service under the command of ''Kapitänleutnant'' Udo Behrens (Crew 30) in 4th U-boat Flotilla on 1 May 1943.

On 3 July 1943, ''Kapitänleutnant'' Rudolf Hoffmann (Crew 36) took over command. On her way to Gotenhafen ''U-845'' assisted which was unable to dive and escorted her to port where they arrived on 24 July. Hoffmann handed over command to ''Korvettenkapitän'' Werner Weber (Crew 25) on 8 October 1943. On 1 January 1944 ''U-845'', which had been transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla, left for operations in the North Atlantic. Via Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen she reached her assigned operation area off Newfoundland in February 1944. A first attack on an unescorted freighter on 6 February 1944 failed, but three days later a British steamer, (), fell victim to ''U-845''s torpedo. On 14 February the U-boat was spotted by an aircraft. In the subsequent attack one crew member died and two others were wounded. An attack on another unescorted freighter the next day failed to sink the ship. On 10 March 1944, ''U-845'' made contact with convoy SC 154, but was picked up by an escort, , in the late afternoon and depth-charged. When the U-boat surfaced late at night, she was attacked by ''St. Laurent'' and three other escorts of 9th Escort Group, , and , with artillery, killing Weber and the bridge crew as well as the crew servicing the AA guns. The rest of the crew survived the attack and was picked up by the escorts. ''Swansea'' picked up 23, ''Forester'' 17, and ''St. Laurent'' five men.

Summary of raiding history

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:U0845
World War II submarines of Germany
German Type IX submarines
1943 ships
U-boats commissioned in 1943
U-boats scuttled in 1944
Ships built in Bremen (state)
Maritime incidents in March 1944