German submarine U-371

History

Nazi Germany
Name:	U-371
Ordered:	23 September 1939
Builder:	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Yard number:	2
Laid down:	17 November 1939
Launched:	27 January 1941
Commissioned:	15 March 1941
Fate:	Sunk, 4 May 1944
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 or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) various AA guns
Service record
Part of:	1st U-boat Flotilla 15 March – 31 October 1941 23rd U-boat Flotilla 1 November 1941 – 14 April 1942 29th U-boat Flotilla 15 April 1942 – 4 May 1944
Identification codes:	M 40 472
Commanders:	Kptlt. Heinrich Driver 15 March 1941 – 25 March/5 April 1942 Oblt.z.S. Karl-Otto Weber 26 March – 6 April 1942 Kptlt. Heinz-Joachim Neumann (acting) 6 April – 24 May 1942 Kptlt. Waldemar Mehl 25 May 1942 – 4 April 1944 Oblt.z.S. Horst-Arno Fenski 5 April – 4 May 1944
Operations:	1st patrol: 5 June – 1 July 1941 2nd patrol: 23 July – 19 August 1941 3rd patrol: 16 September – 24 October 1941 4th patrol: 4 December 1941 – 10 January 1942 5th patrol: 4–25 March 1942 6th patrol: 21 April – 9 May 1942 7th patrol: 5–18 September 1942 8th patrol: 1–4 December 1942 9th patrol: 7 December 1942 – 10 January 1943 10th patrol: 14 February – 3 March 1943 11th patrol: 7 April – 11 May 1943 12th patrol: 3–12 July 1943 13th patrol: 22 July – 11 August 1943 14th patrol: 21 August – 3 September 1943 15th patrol: 7–28 October 1943 16th patrol: 15–23 November 1943 17th patrol: 22 January – 13 February 1944 18th patrol: 4–25 March 1944 19th patrol: 23 April – 4 May 1944
Victories:	Eight merchant ships sunk (51,401 GRT) one auxiliary warship sunk (545 GRT) two warships sunk (2,286 tons) four merchant ships damaged (28,072 GRT) two warships damaged (2,500 tons) two merchant ships total losses (13,341 GRT)

German submarine U-371 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down in November 1939 in Kiel, launched in January 1941, and commissioned in March under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Driver. After training, U-371 was ready for front-line service with the 1st U-boat Flotilla from 1 July 1941.

Operating mostly in the Mediterranean Sea, in 19 patrols between June 1941 and May 1944 the U-boat sank 13 ships totalling 67,573 tons, including the American destroyer USS Bristol, and damaged six more totalling 30,572 tons.

U-371 was sunk at 04:09 local time on 4 May 1944 in the Mediterranean north of Constantine, in position 37°49′N 05°39′E / 37.817°N 5.650°E / 37.817; 5.650Coordinates: 37°49′N 05°39′E / 37.817°N 5.650°E / 37.817; 5.650 by a force of American, French and British destroyers. Three men were killed, with 49 survivors.

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