German submarine U-353

History

Nazi Germany
Name:	U-353
Ordered:	9 October 1939
Builder:	Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg
Yard number:	472
Laid down:	30 March 1940
Launched:	11 November 1941
Commissioned:	31 March 1942
Fate:	Sunk, 16 October 1942
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement:	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height:	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught:	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power:	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed:	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range:	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament:	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) 1 × 2 cm (0.8 in) AA gun
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla 31 March – 30 September 1942 1st U-boat Flotilla 1–16 October 1942
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Römer 31 March – 16 October 1942
Operations:	One patrol: 24 September – 16 October 1942
Victories:	None

German submarine U-353 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 30 March 1940 at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg, launched on 11 November 1941, and commissioned on 31 March 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Römer. After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla based at Kiel, U-353 was transferred to the 1st U-boat Flotilla at Brest in France for front-line service from 1 October 1942.

U-353 was sunk on her first and only combat patrol at 15:02 GMT on 16 October 1942 in the North Atlantic after being rammed and depth-charged by the destroyer HMS Fame, in position 53°54′N 29°30′W / 53.900°N 29.500°W / 53.900; -29.500Coordinates: 53°54′N 29°30′W / 53.900°N 29.500°W / 53.900; -29.500, while about to attack Convoy SC 104. Six of the crew were killed and 39 survived the attack.