German submarineU-399

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-399
Ordered	25 August 1941
Builder	Howaldtswerke,Kiel
Yard number	31
Laid down	12 November 1942
Launched	4 December 1943
Commissioned	22 January 1944
Fate	Sunk in theEnglish Channelon 26 March 1945
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 ×3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42AA gun; 2 × twin2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla; 22 January 1944 – 31 January 1945; 11th U-boat Flotilla; 1 February – 26 March 1945;
Identification codes:	M 46 386
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S.Kurt van Meteren; 22 January – 2 July 1944; Oblt.z.S.Heinz Bhuse; 3 July 1944 – 26 March 1945;
Operations:	1 patrol:; 6 February – 26 March 1945;
Victories:	1 merchant ship sunk; (362GRT); 1 merchant ship total loss; (7,176GRT);

German submarineU-399was aType VIIC U-boatofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarineduringWorld War II.

She carried out one patrol. She sank one ship and caused another to be declared a total loss.

She was sunk in theEnglish Channelon 26 March 1945.

Design

German Type VIIC submarineswere preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-399had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.^[3]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-cylindersupercharged diesel 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).^[3]

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).^[3]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-399was 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), one3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42and two twin2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns. The boat had acomplementof between forty-four and sixty.^[3]

Service history

The submarine waslaid downon 12 November 1942 at theHowaldtswerke(yard) atKielas yard number 31,launchedon 4 December 1943 andcommissionedon 22 January 1944 under the command ofOberleutnant zur SeeKurt van Meteren.

She served with the5th U-boat Flotillafrom 22 January 1944 and the11th flotillafrom 1 February 1945.

The boat's first patrol was preceded by the short journey fromKielin Germany toHorten Naval Base(south of Oslo), arriving at the Norwegian port on 28 January 1945.

Patrol and loss

U-399departed Horten on 6 February 1945. On 21 March, she torpedoed theLiberty shipJames Eagan Layne"about twelve miles offPlymouth".The ship was beached at nearbyWhitesand Baybut settled on the bottom; at high water, only her masts and funnel showed. She was declared a total loss.

The boat sank the Dutch-registeredPacificon 26 March 1945. This ship had taken part in OperationDynamo,the Dunkirk evacuation, in 1940.

U-399was sunk later on the same day bydepth chargesfrom the Britishfrigate HMSDuckworth.^[2]

Forty-six men died inU-399;there was one survivor.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[4]
21 March 1945	James Eagan Layne	United States	7,176	Total loss
26 March 1945	Pacific	Netherlands	362	Sunk

References

^Kemp 1999,p. 239.
^^a ^bHelgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-399".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved10 September2012.
^^a ^b ^c ^dGröner 1991,pp. 43–46.
^Helgason, Guðmundur."Ships hit by U-399".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved26 December2014.

Bibliography

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.ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
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.ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
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.ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Kemp, Paul (1999).U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars.London: Arms & Armour.ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-399".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved26 December2014.

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999239-1] Kemp 1999,p. 239.

[uboatnet-2] Helgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-399".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved10 September2012.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199143–46-3] Gröner 1991,pp. 43–46.

[4] Helgason, Guðmundur."Ships hit by U-399".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved26 December2014.

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v t e Type VII submarines
Type VIIA	U-27 U-28 U-29 U-30 U-31 U-32 U-33 U-34 U-35 U-36
Type VIIB	U-45 U-46 U-47 U-48 U-49 U-50 U-51 U-52 U-53 U-54 U-55 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-83 U-84 U-85 U-86 U-87 U-99 U-100 U-101 U-102
Type VIIC	U-69 U-70 U-71 U-72 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80 U-81 U-82 U-88 U-89 U-90 U-91 U-92 U-93 U-94 U-95 U-96 U-97 U-98 U-132 U-133 U-134 U-135 U-136 U-201 U-202 U-203 U-204 U-205 U-206 U-207 U-208 U-209 U-210 U-211 U-212 U-221 U-222 U-223 U-224 U-225 U-226 U-227 U-228 U-229 U-230 U-231 U-232 U-235 U-236 U-237 U-238 U-239 U-240 U-241 U-242 U-243 U-244 U-245 U-246 U-247 U-248 U-249 U-250 U-251 U-252 U-253 U-254 U-255 U-256 U-257 U-258 U-259 U-260 U-261 U-262 U-263 U-264 U-265 U-266 U-267 U-268 U-269 U-270 U-271 U-272 U-273 U-274 U-275 U-276 U-277 U-278 U-279 U-280 U-281 U-282 U-283 U-284 U-285 U-286 U-287 U-288 U-289 U-290 U-291 U-301 U-302 U-303 U-304 U-305 U-306 U-307 U-308 U-309 U-310 U-311 U-312 U-313 U-314 U-315 U-316 U-331 U-332 U-333 U-334 U-335 U-336 U-337 U-338 U-339 U-340 U-341 U-342 U-343 U-344 U-345 U-346 U-347 U-348 U-349 U-350 U-351 U-352 U-353 U-354 U-355 U-356 U-357 U-358 U-359 U-360 U-361 U-362 U-363 U-364 U-365 U-366 U-367 U-368 U-369 U-370 U-371 U-372 U-373 U-374 U-375 U-376 U-377 U-378 U-379 U-380 U-381 U-382 U-383 U-384 U-385 U-386 U-387 U-388 U-389 U-390 U-391 U-392 U-393 U-394 U-396 U-397 U-398 U-399 U-400 U-401 U-402 U-403 U-404 U-405 U-406 U-407 U-408 U-409 U-410 U-411 U-412 U-413 U-414 U-415 U-416 U-417 U-418 U-419 U-420 U-421 U-422 U-423 U-424 U-425 U-426 U-427 U-428 U-429 U-430 U-431 U-432 U-433 U-434 U-435 U-436 U-437 U-438 U-439 U-440 U-441 U-442 U-443 U-444 U-445 U-446 U-447 U-448 U-449 U-450 U-451 U-452 U-453 U-454 U-455 U-456 U-457 U-458 U-465 U-466 U-467 U-468 U-469 U-470 U-471 U-472 U-473 U-475 U-476 U-477 U-478 U-479 U-480 U-481 U-482 U-483 U-484 U-485 U-486 U-551 U-552 U-553 U-554 U-555 U-556 U-557 U-558 U-559 U-560 U-561 U-562 U-563 U-564 U-565 U-566 U-567 U-568 U-569 U-570 U-571 U-572 U-573 U-574 U-575 U-576 U-577 U-578 U-579 U-580 U-581 U-582 U-583 U-584 U-585 U-586 U-587 U-588 U-589 U-590 U-591 U-592 U-593 U-594 U-595 U-596 U-597 U-598 U-599 U-600 U-601 U-602 U-603 U-604 U-605 U-606 U-607 U-608 U-609 U-610 U-611 U-612 U-613 U-614 U-615 U-616 U-617 U-618 U-619 U-620 U-621 U-622 U-623 U-624 U-625 U-626 U-627 U-628 U-629 U-630 U-631 U-632 U-633 U-634 U-635 U-636 U-637 U-638 U-639 U-640 U-641 U-642 U-643 U-644 U-645 U-646 U-647 U-648 U-649 U-650 U-651 U-652 U-653 U-654 U-655 U-656 U-657 U-658 U-659 U-660 U-661 U-662 U-663 U-664 U-665 U-666 U-667 U-668 U-669 U-670 U-671 U-672 U-673 U-674 U-675 U-676 U-677 U-678 U-679 U-680 U-681 U-682 U-683 U-701 U-702 U-703 U-704 U-705 U-706 U-707 U-708 U-709 U-710 U-711 U-712 U-713 U-714 U-715 U-716 U-717 U-718 U-719 U-720 U-721 U-722 U-731 U-732 U-733 U-734 U-735 U-736 U-737 U-738 U-739 U-740 U-741 U-742 U-743 U-744 U-745 U-746 U-747 U-748 U-749 U-750 U-751 U-752 U-753 U-754 U-755 U-756 U-757 U-758 U-759 U-760 U-761 U-762 U-763 U-764 U-765 U-766 U-767 U-768 U-771 U-772 U-773 U-774 U-775 U-776 U-777 U-778 U-779 U-821 U-822 U-825 U-826 U-901 U-903 U-904 U-905 U-907 U-921 U-922 U-923 U-924 U-925 U-926 U-927 U-928 U-951 U-952 U-953 U-954 U-955 U-956 U-957 U-958 U-959 U-960 U-961 U-962 U-963 U-964 U-965 U-966 U-967 U-968 U-969 U-970 U-971 U-972 U-973 U-974 U-975 U-976 U-977 U-978 U-979 U-980 U-981 U-982 U-983 U-984 U-985 U-986 U-987 U-988 U-989 U-990 U-991 U-992 U-993 U-994 U-1051 U-1052 U-1053 U-1054 U-1055 U-1056 U-1057 U-1058 U-1101 U-1102 U-1131 U-1132 U-1161 U-1162 U-1191 U-1192 U-1193 U-1194 U-1195 U-1196 U-1197 U-1198 U-1199 U-1200 U-1201 U-1202 U-1203 U-1204 U-1205 U-1206 U-1207 U-1208 U-1209 U-1210
Type VIIC/41	U-292 U-293 U-294 U-295 U-296 U-297 U-298 U-299 U-300 U-317 U-318 U-319 U-320 U-321 U-322 U-323 U-324 U-325 U-326 U-327 U-328 U-691 U-827 U-828 U-929 U-930 U-995 U-997 U-998 U-999 U-1000 U-1001 U-1002 U-1003 U-1004 U-1005 U-1006 U-1007 U-1008 U-1009 U-1010 U-1011 U-1013 U-1014 U-1015 U-1016 U-1017 U-1018 U-1019 U-1020 U-1021 U-1022 U-1023 U-1024 U-1025 U-1063 U-1064 U-1065 U-1103 U-1104 U-1105 U-1106 U-1107 U-1108 U-1109 U-1110 U-1163 U-1164 U-1165 U-1166 U-1167 U-1168 U-1169 U-1170 U-1171 U-1172 U-1271 U-1272 U-1273 U-1274 U-1275 U-1276 U-1277 U-1278 U-1279 U-1301 U-1302 U-1303 U-1304 U-1305 U-1306 U-1307 U-1308
Type VIID	U-213 U-214 U-215 U-216 U-217 U-218
Type VIIF	U-1059 U-1060 U-1061 U-1062
Preceded by:Type II Followed by:Type IX List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1945
Shipwrecks	1 Mar:USSHannibal 2 Mar:U-3519 3 Mar:HMTSouthern Flower,HMASSteady Hour 4 Mar:U-3508 5 Mar:Nagara Maru 6 Mar:Albert Ballin,Z28 7 Mar:U-1302 10 Mar:Amiral Charner,U-275,U-681 11 Mar:U-682 12 Mar:Sperrbrecher 18,USSBass,U-260,V 315Bris 13 Mar:HMSSealion 13 Mar.Taber Park 14 Mar:Hugo Zeye,U-714,U-1021 15 Mar:USSLancetfish 16 Mar:U-367 17 Mar:HMCSGuysborough 18 Mar:U-866,TA24 19 Mar:Empire Blessing,Suma,Samselbu 20 Mar:M18,Hakuyo Maru,HMSLapwing 21 Mar:James Eagan Layne 23 Mar:Gneisenau,Ro-41,USSS-21 24 Mar:Tomozuru 26 Mar:HMASTerka,U-399,U-1003,Zähringen 27 Mar:U-722,U-905 28 Mar:USSSkylark,USSTrigger 29 Mar:Cha-156,Kommandøren,U-1106,U-1169 30 Mar:Köln,U-96,U-348,U-350,U-429,U-430,U-870,U-884,U-965,U-1131,U-1167,U-2340,U-3508 31 Mar:Ha-60,I-8 Unknown date:Ha-69,USSKete,U-296
Other incidents	1 Mar:USSGuitarro 6 Mar:Greenhill Park 11 Mar:USSPiranha,U-1201 16 Mar:I-47 18 Mar:Brünhilde 19 Mar:USSFranklin,Ryūhō 20 Mar:USSPiranha 21 Mar:USSSpadefish 23 Mar:U-1003 26 Mar:USSHalligan,HMSPuffin 29 Mar:HMCSTeme 30 Mar:U-1197 31 Mar:USSCase,USSCoos Bay,USSSpot Unknown date:U-758
194419451946 February 1945April 1945