German submarine U-352 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 March 1940, at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg, launched on 7 May 1941, and commissioned on 28 August 1941, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke. She was part of the 3rd U-boat Flotilla, and was ready for front-line service by 1 January 1942.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-352 had a displacement of 769t when at the surface and 871t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.1m (220.1feet), a pressure hull length of 50.5m (165.7feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaNPS for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-352 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2sp=usNaNsp=us C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
U-352 left Kiel on 15 January 1942, and arrived at Bergen, in Norway, on 19 January. She left the next day and patrolled south of Iceland, without success, before sailing to her new home port at Saint-Nazaire, in France, by 26 February.[1]
U-352 left St. Nazaire, on 7 April 1942, and sailed across the Atlantic to the north-eastern coast of the United States.[2] There on 9 May 1942, she was sunk by depth charges from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter, south of Morehead City, North Carolina, in position 34.2278°N -109.89°W.[3] The crew of the Icarus machine gunned the German submarine when it surfaced, preventing the German crew from manning the deck guns.[4] One survivor, radio operator Kurt Krueger, reported in 1999 that Icarus departed and then returned 45 minutes later to pick up survivors.[5] [6] Fifteen of the crew were lost, but 33 survived and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners.
U-352 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
The wreck of U-352 was discovered south of Morehead City, in 1975, by George Purifoy.[7] She lies in about of water, and sits at a 45-degree list to starboard. The wreck scatter is within a radius of location above on a sand bottom.[3] This wreck has become an artificial reef that is heavily populated with Hemanthias vivanus.[3] The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It 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.[7]