Unterseeboot 352
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-352 was a Type VIIC U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The submarine was laid down on 11 March 1940 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company is trading as Flensburger and commonly abbrevated FSG.-History:...
yard at Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, launched on 7 May 1941, and commissioned on 28 August 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke, attached to 3rd U-boat Flotilla, and was ready for front-line service by 1 January 1942.
1st patrol
U-352 left KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
on 15 January 1942, and arrived at Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
on the 19th. She left the next day and patrolled south of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
without success before sailing to her new home port at Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
by 26 February.
2nd patrol
U-352 left St. Nazaire on 7 April 1942 and sailed across the Atlantic to the coast of the north-eastern United States. There on 9 May 1942, she was sunk by depth chargeDepth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s from the US Coast Guard cutter , south of Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007...
, in position 34°21′N 76°35′W.. Fifteen of the crew were lost, but 33 survived, and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners of war.
Dive site
The U-352 lies in about 100 feet (30.5 m) of water, and sits at a 45-degree list to starboard. This wreck is a popular scuba diving spot for advanced divers. A replica of the wreck is on display at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.Heinz Richter
Heinz Karl Richter, a Maschinengefreiter (equivalent of a Fireman 3rd Class) who survived the sinking, was found living in Canada and was interviewed for Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's special coverage of U-352. He said that Captain Rathke was obsessed with receiving a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
medal for sinking 100,000 tonnes worth of enemy ships. Richter said that the captain's obsession eventually led to recklessness, ultimately resulting in the ship's sinking. Richter also said he was the last man out of the boat before it sank; those still on board were already dead, or perished in the boat as it sank.
Survivors
According to documents from the Naval Department, the following are survivors of the sinking:| Name | Rank | US Navy equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Rathke, Hellmut | Kapitänleutnant Captain Lieutenant Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of different navies worldwide.It is generally equivalent to the Commonwealth or US rank of lieutenant, and has the NATO rank code of OF-2, though this can vary.... |
Lieutenant |
| Bernard, Oskar | Leutnant z. S. (Sonderführer) | Second Lieutenant |
| Kammerer, Ernst | Fähnrich z. S. | Ensign |
| Daehn, Arthur | Bootsmaat | Coxswain |
| Neitsch, Hans | Bootsmaat | Coxswain |
| Richter, Helmut H. | Bootsmaat | Coxswain |
| Kruger, Kurt | Funkmaat | Radioman 3 cl. |
| Sorg, Ludwig | Funkmaat | Radioman 3 cl. |
| Bollmann, Heinrich | Obermaschinist | Machinist |
| Grandke, Walter | Obermaschinist | Machinist |
| Brand, August Michael | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Reussel, Gerd | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Schwarzenberger, Heinz | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Thönnissen, Kurt H. | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Wesche, Martin Wilhelm | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Wessoly, Lothar | Maschinenmaat | Fireman 1 cl. |
| Rusch, Gerhard | Maschinenobergefreiter | Fireman 2 cl. |
| Stengel, Otto | Maschinenobergefreiter | Fireman 2 cl. |
| Minzker, Johann | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. |
| Richter, Heinz Karl | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. |
| Twirdy, Heinrich | Maschinengefreiter | Fireman 3 cl. |
| Heinze, Hans | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Henschke, Otto | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Hering, Gerhard | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Herrschaft, Edgar | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Kominek, Franz | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Mattiz, Hans | Funkgefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Pickel, Erhard | Matrosengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Richter, Gerhard | Maschinengefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Thiele, Rudolf | Mechanikergefreiter | Seaman 2 cl. |
| Link, Wilhelm | Matrose | Apprentice Seaman |
| Staron, Edmund | Matrose | Apprentice Seaman |
| TOTAL: | 33 |