German submarineU-377

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-377
Ordered	16 October 1939
Builder	Howaldtswerke,Kiel
Yard number	8
Laid down	8 April 1940
Launched	15 August 1941
Commissioned	2 October 1941
Fate	Sunk on 17 January 1944
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIICsubmarine
Displacement	769tonnes(757long 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	8,500nmi(15,700km;9,800mi) 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 x2 cm (0.79 in) C/30AA gun
Service record
Part of:	6th U-boat Flotilla 2 October 1941 – 30 June 1942 11th U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1942 – 28 February 1943 9th U-boat Flotilla 1 March 1943 – 17 January 1944
Identification codes:	M 16 791
Commanders:	Kptlt.Otto Köhler 2 October 1941 – 2 August 1943 Oblt.z.S.Gerhard Kluth 3 August 1943 – 17 January 1944 Lt.z.S.Ernst-August Gerke (acting) 22 September – 10 October 1943
Operations:	11 patrols: 1st patrol: 14 – 28 February 1942 2nd patrol: a. 6 – 19 March 1942 b. 22 – 25 March 1942 3rd patrol: 5 – 19 April 1942 4th patrol: a. 25 – 29 May 1942 b. 31 May – 2 June 1942 5th patrol: 18 – 25 July 1942 6th patrol: 30 August – 24 September 1942 7th patrol: a. 7 – 24 October 1942 b. 27 October – 13 November 1942 c. 15 – 18 November 1942 d. 20 – 25 November 1942 8th patrol: 30 January – 18 March 1943 9th patrol: 15 April – 7 June 1943 10th patrol: a. 26 – 30 August 1943 b. 6 – 7 September 1943 c. 9 – 22 September 1943 d. 22 September – 10 October 1943 11th patrol: 15 December 1943 – 17 January 1944
Victories:	None

German submarineU-377was aType VIICU-boatofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarineduringWorld War II.The submarine waslaid downon 8 April 1940 at theHowaldtswerkeyard inKiel,launchedon 15 August 1941, andcommissionedon 2 October 1941 under the command ofKapitänleutnantOtto Köhler.

U-377was attached to the6th U-boat Flotilla,and was ready for front-line service from 1 February 1942. She served with the11th U-boat Flotillabased in Norway from 1 July 1942, and was transferred to the9th U-boat Flotillabased in France on 1 March 1943. She sailed on 11 war patrols between February 1942 and January 1944, but sank no ships, before she was sunk with the loss of all hands on 17 January 1944 on the position49°39′N20°10′Wby depth charges from the British destroyerHMSWandererand the frigateHMSGlenarm.

Design

German Type VIIC submarineswere preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-377had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hulllength of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeamof 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraughtof 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerftF46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel enginesproducing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, twoGarbe, Lahmeyer & Co.RP 137/cdouble-acting electric motorsproducing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft)propellers.The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-377was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes(four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes,one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun,220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplementof between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

Norway

U-377sailed from Kiel on 14 February 1942 and patrolled along the coast of Norway before arriving atNarvikon 28 February.This was her home port for the rest of the year, she sailed on a series of six patrols in theBarents Sea,without success.

On 30 January 1943U-377leftBergenand sailed out into the Atlantic, patrolling south ofGreenland,before arriving atBrestin France on 18 March, having been transferred to the9th U-boat Flotilla.

France

U-377sailed from Brest on 15 April, out into the mid-Atlantic, and patrolled for 54 days, before returning to base on 7 June.

On 2 August 1943 her commander, Otto Köhler, left the boat and was replaced byOberleutnant zur SeeGerhard Kluth.Kluth's first patrol was quite eventful, as her first two attempts were cut short;U-377sailed from Brest on 26 August 1943, but returned on the 30th; she sailed again on 6 September 1943, returning the next day. Finally she set out again on 9 September,joining other U-boats in mid-Atlantic. On 22 September, the U-boat was attacked by aB-24 Liberator,wounding the commander. The U-boat returned to port under the command of the I WO.Leutnant zur SeeErnst-August Gerke.

Loss

U-377departed from Brest on 15 December 1943, with Kluth back in command, sailing out into mid-Atlantic.She made her last radio report on 15 January 1944, claiming to have attacked an unidentified search group with homing torpedoes. TheBdU( "U-boat Command" ) expected the U-boat to head back to France on or about 29 January, so when she had failed to arrive by 10 February, she was listed as missing from 4 February 1944. After the war the Allied Assessment Committee were unable to attribute the loss ofU-377to any known anti-submarine attack, and the U-boat was officially recorded as "lost to unknown cause". TheKriegsmarinehad received at least two partially corrupted unsigned coded emergency messages around the time of the U-boat's disappearance, leading to a theory thatU-377had been sunk by one of its ownZaunkoenigT-5acoustic torpedoes.This explanation has been generally accepted post-war.However, an attack by the British destroyerHMSWandererand frigateHMSGlenarmat49°39′N20°10′W,on 17 January took place two days and about 220 nautical miles (410 km; 250 mi) fromU-377's last known position (where she would have been, had she been on course and sailing at the most economical speed, as ordered) and recent research suggests that this was the U-boat's fate.

Wolfpacks

U-377took part in 15wolfpacks,namely:

• Aufnahme (7 – 11 March 1942)
• Blücher(11 – 18 March 1942)
• Bums (6 – 14 April 1942)
• Blutrausch (15 – 17 April 1942)
• Trägertod (12 – 21 September 1942)
• Ritter (11 – 21 February 1943)
• Neptun (22 February – 2 March 1943)
• Amsel (22 April – 3 May 1943)
• Amsel 2 (3 – 6 May 1943)
• Elbe (7 – 10 May 1943)
• Elbe 2 (10 – 14 May 1943)
• Leuthen(15 – 22 September 1943)
• Borkum(24 December 1943 – 3 January 1944)
• Borkum 3(3 – 13 January 1944)
• Rügen (13 – 17 January 1944)

Bibliography

• Edwards, Bernard (1996).Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War.Cassell Military Classics. pp. 219, 220.ISBN0-304-35203-9.
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991).U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN0-85177-593-4.
• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999).German U-boat commanders of World War II: a biographical dictionary.Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-186-6.
• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999).Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945[German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg; Berlin; Bonn: Mittler.ISBN3-8132-0514-2.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-377".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved26 December2014.
• Axel Niestlé."The Loss ofU-305,U-377andU-641".ubootwaffe.net.Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.Retrieved4 December2014.
• "U-377".ubootwaffe.net.Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2012.Retrieved4 December2014.