47-645: German submarine U-853 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine during World War II . Her keel was laid down on 21 August 1942 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen . She was commissioned on 25 June 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 saw action during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. She conducted three patrols, sinking two ships totalling 5,353 GRT and 430 tons. On her final patrol, U-853
94-590: A 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight. U-853 was armed with a single 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U gun on the LM 42U mount. The LM 42U mount was the most common mount used with the 3.7 cm Flak M42U. The 3.7 cm Flak M42U was the marine version of the 3.7 cm Flak used by the Kriegsmarine on Type VII and Type IX U-boats. U-853 had two 2cm Flak C38 in
141-505: A pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing
188-405: A M 43U Zwilling mount with short folding shield mounted on the upper Wintergarten . The M 43U mount was used on a number of U-boats ( U-190 , U-249 , U-250 , U-278 , U-337 , U-475 , U-1058 , U-1109 , U-1023 , U-1105 , U-1165 and U-1306 ). U-853 was built by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen . Ordered on 5 June 1941, her keel was laid on 21 August 1942 and she
235-462: A convoy and strike night after night. Some of the IXC boats were fitted for mine operations; as mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 60 TMB mines . Secondary armament was provided by one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun with 180 rounds. Anti-aircraft armament differed throughout the war. They had two periscopes in the tower. Types IXA and IXB had an additional periscope in the control room, which
282-408: 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), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine
329-511: A report of the torpedoing to authorities. The US Navy organized a "hunter-killer" group that included four American warships: USS Ericsson , USS Amick , USS Atherton , and USS Moberly . The group discovered U-853 bottomed in 18 fathoms (108 ft; 33 m), and dropped depth charges and hedgehogs during a 16-hour attack. At first, the U-boat attempted to flee, then tried to hide by lying still. Both times it
376-412: A total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 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 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph). When submerged,
423-551: A weather report from U-853 only 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) away. Within minutes two FM-1 Wildcat fighters strafed the submarine, killing 2 men and wounding 12 others. Sommer suffered 28 shrapnel and bullet wounds yet still managed to give the order to submerge. In all likelihood Sommer saved his submarine from being destroyed by allied bombers. Three weeks of pursuit from 25 May until 17 June placed an enormous strain on U-853 ' s crew. Twenty-three-year-old Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Frömsdorf took command of
470-523: The 11th flotilla until 31 August 1944 and then the 13th flotilla until the war's end. She carried out seven patrols, sinking two ships; a commercial vessel of 7,177 GRT and a warship of 1,810 tons. She was a member of eight wolfpacks . She carried out a short voyage between Kiel in Germany and Bergen in Norway over December 1943 and January 1944. The boat departed Bergen on 8 January 1944 and sank
517-608: The Gulf of Mexico , U-166 , was a Type IXC. U-505 survives at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago , and was completely renovated after being moved in 2004 to a purpose-built indoor berth. DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg built 54 Type IXC submarines. Only four survived the war, one of which is preserved in the US. Type IXC/40
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#1732802509289564-813: The Newport Naval Station . The USS Atherton was transferred to Japan and served as part of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force until 1975 when she was returned to the United States. She was given to the Philippines in 1978 and served as BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11) with the Philippine Navy until 2018. Interest has been expressed in returning Atherton to the United States so she can be restored to her World War II appearance and be opened to
611-706: The Penelope Barker on the 25th, about 115 nautical miles (213 km; 132 mi) north of the North Cape . She docked at Hammerfest on the 28th. She sank the British destroyer Hardy southeast of Bear Island on 30 January 1944. On her third sortie, she steamed through the Norwegian and Barents Seas. U-278 left Hammerfest on 24 April 1944. On 3 May she was attacked by a Fairey Swordfish of 822 Naval Air Squadron FAA, (Fleet Air Arm), from
658-545: The Western Approaches off the British Isles, but in a period of seven weeks scored no successes. On completion she did not return to Lorient, but continued to Flensburg , Germany, arriving 14 October. Kuhnke assumed command of the 33rd U-boat Flotilla upon arriving at Flensburg. He relinquished command of U-853 back to Frömsdorf, who took the U-boat on her third and final patrol. Before departure U-853
705-494: The 55 crew member bodies remain within the hull, which is a war grave. It is one of the more popular dive sites in Southern New England. The hull has depth charge blast holes: one forward of the conning tower at the radio room and another in the starboard side of the engine room. Entering the wreck is dangerous due to debris, sharp metal edges, and confined spaces. On 6 and 7 May 1945, Navy divers attempted to enter
752-491: The 67 crew survived. That same day USS Selfridge dropped nine depth charges on a suspected submarine. The next day USS Muskegon made sonar contact and attacked U-853 , but failed to destroy her. Although several survivors claimed to have seen a submarine sail with yellow and red insignia, a Navy inquiry attributed the PE-56 sinking to a boiler explosion. The Navy reversed its findings in 2001 to acknowledge that
799-671: The Atlantic could be used to help predict the timing of an Allied invasion of Europe. On 25 May 1944 U-853 spotted RMS Queen Mary , loaded with American troops and supplies. The U-boat submerged to attack, but was outrun by the much larger and faster ship. As she surfaced in Queen Mary's wake U-853 was attacked by Fairey Swordfish aircraft from British merchant aircraft carriers MV Ancylus and MV Empire MacKendrick . The U-boat took no significant damage and returned fire, hitting all three aircraft. The planes were able to return to their carrier, but after recovery one
846-473: The IXD1, IXD2 and IXD/42. The IXD1 had unreliable engines and they were later converted for use in surface transport vessels. The IXD2 comprised most of the class and had a range of 23,700 nautical miles (43,900 km; 27,300 mi). The IXD/42, was almost identical but with more engine power (5,400 hp (4,000 kW; 5,500 PS) instead of 4,400 hp (3,300 kW; 4,500 PS)). In 1943 and 1944
893-533: The aircraft carrier HMS Fencer and a Swordfish and a Martlet , both of 833 Squadron from Activity . The U-boat sustained only superficial damage; her crew claimed the Martlet shot down. However, all three aircraft returned safely to their carriers. The boat then embarked on a series of short 'hops' between Bergen, Ramsund and Narvik in July 1944. Patrol number five was her longest at 63 days. It took
940-486: The attack in the US waters in early 1942 known as Operation Drumbeat , U-156 , which was bombed by a US aircraft while flying a Red Cross -flag and rescuing survivors of a torpedoed ship ( Laconia incident ), and U-107 operating off Freetown, Sierra Leone under the command of Günter Hessler , which had the most successful single mission of the war ever with close to 100,000 GRT sunk. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 14 Type IXB U-boats. Thirteen were sunk in
987-442: The boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-853 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes , one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun , 180 rounds, and
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#17328025092891034-441: The boat on 18 June (his first command) and returned to Lorient in northwest France. Sommer and a large number of the crew was declared unfit for duty. On 10 July Sommer was formally relieved by Oberleutnant zur See Otto Wermuth. The boat remained in port until 27 August. Decorated veteran Korvettenkapitän Günter Kuhnke , Commander of the 10th U-boat Flotilla , took command for her second patrol. U-853 operated this time in
1081-447: The course of the war. The Type IXC was a further refinement of the class with storage for an additional 43 tonnes of fuel, increasing the boat's range. This series omitted the control room periscope leaving the boats with two tower scopes. As mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines, though the 35 boats of U-162 through U-170 and U-505 through U-550 were not fitted for mine operations. The only U-boat sunk in
1128-521: The eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for Europe. It was derived from the Type IA , and appeared in various sub-types. Type IXs had six torpedo tubes ; four at the bow and two at the stern. They carried six reloads internally and had five external torpedo containers (three at the stern and two at the bow) which stored ten additional torpedoes. The total of 22 torpedoes allowed U-boat commanders to follow
1175-540: The first weeks of her patrol. Her crossing of the Atlantic was slow because she used her Schnorchel to remain submerged to avoid being spotted by Allied aircraft. On 1 April 1945 U-853 was ordered to the Gulf of Maine . On 23 April she fatally torpedoed USS Eagle 56 near Portland, Maine . Eagle 56 , a World War I-era patrol boat, was towing targets for a United States Navy dive-bomber training exercise 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) off Cape Elizabeth when she exploded amidships and sank. Only 13 of
1222-410: The loss of her entire crew. U-853 is a popular deep sea diving site. She rests in 121 feet (37 m) of water. German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs . U-853 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in),
1269-481: The public. Rajah Humabon was decommissioned on 15 March 2018 and is planned to be part of the Philippine Navy museum in Sangley Point . U-853 lies 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) east of Block Island in 130 feet (40 m) of water. The US Coast Guard pinpoints the location of the wreck at 41°13′N 71°27′W / 41.217°N 71.450°W / 41.217; -71.450 . Most of
1316-532: The sinking was due to hostile fire and awarded Purple Hearts to the survivors and next-of-kin of the deceased. On 5 May 1945, Reichspräsident of Nazi Germany Karl Dönitz ordered all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases. U-853 was lying in wait off Point Judith, Rhode Island , at the time. According to the US Coast Guard , U-853 either did not receive that order or, less likely, ignored it. Soon after, her torpedo blew off
1363-424: The stern of Black Point , a 368-foot (112 m) collier underway from New York to Boston . Within 15 minutes Black Point had sunk in 100 feet (30 m) of water less than 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) south of Point Judith. She was the last US-flagged merchant ship lost in World War II. Twelve men died and 34 crew members were rescued. One of the rescuing ships, Yugoslav freighter Kamen , sent
1410-643: The submarine north and east to the Kara Sea . She then moved from Narvik to Trondheim in October 1944. This sortie was divided into two parts, during which the boat travelled as far as the northern coast of Scotland. Her last patrol was from Narvik, between 10 April 1945 and 9 May. Following the German capitulation, the boat was moved from Norway to Loch Eriboll in Scotland, for Operation Deadlight . She
1457-673: The surface. U-853 was one of the last U-boats sunk during World War II and the last to be sunk in US waters. ( U-881 was sunk the same day in the North Atlantic.) Atherton and Moberly received joint credit for the kill. The submarine's two propellers were on display for many years at the Inn at Castle Hill in Newport and are now in the custody of the United States Naval War College Museum at
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1504-480: The torpedo tubes were removed from a number of IXD boats converted for transport use. In their new role they could transport 252 tonnes of cargo. The range was extended to 31,500 nautical miles (58,300 km; 36,200 mi). DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 30 Type IXD U-boats. Several Type IXD/42 U-boats were contracted to be built by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen, but only two were commissioned. They were: German submarine U-278 German submarine U-278
1551-400: The upper Wintergarten . The M43U mount was used on a number of U-boats ( U-190 , U-249 , U-250 , U-337 , U-475 , U-853 , U-1058 , U-1109 , U-1023 , U-1105 , U-1165 and U-1306 ). U-278 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla for training from January to September 1943 and operationally with the 7th U-boat Flotilla from 1 October 1943. She was reassigned to
1598-515: The wreck to recover the captain's safe and the papers within, but failed. Recreational divers first visited the site in 1953. In 1960 a recreational diver brought up a body from the wreck. This provoked former navy admirals and clergy to petition the US government for restrictions on disturbing the dead. The German crewman was buried with full military honors in Newport, Rhode Island . As of 1998 at least two recreational divers have died from exploring
1645-507: The wreckage. Stephen Hardick died in 2005 while filming the U-boat. He surfaced unconscious and could not be revived. Hardick, age 60, died as the result of saltwater drowning associated with poor health according to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner's office. On October 26, 2022, a live depth charge was found near the wreckage by fishermen based out of Rhode Island. The depth charge contained 267 pounds of TNT which
1692-519: Was commissioned on 25 June 1943. The Germans nicknamed the U-boat der Seiltänzer ("the Tightrope Walker"), and her crew painted an emblem of a yellow shield with a red horse on her sail. On her first war patrol from May to June 1944, U-853 was assigned to weather-watching duty under the command of Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer. German intelligence believed that weather conditions in
1739-490: Was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine during World War II . The submarine was laid down on 26 March 1942 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 43. She was launched on 2 December and commissioned on 16 January 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Joachim Franze. German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines . U-278 had
1786-594: Was an improved Type IXC with slightly increased range and surfaced speed. The remains of U-534 are on display at Woodside Ferry Terminal, Birkenhead . DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg, built 87 of this type. Type IXD was significantly longer and heavier than the IXC/40. It was faster than the IXC but at the cost of slightly reduced maneuverability. It had three pairs of Daimler Benz diesels: two pairs for cruise and one for high speed or battery recharge. There were three variants:
1833-498: 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-278
1880-453: Was deemed a total loss and jettisoned. The escort carrier USS Croatan had been hunting weather boats for nearly a month and had already sunk U-488 and U-490 . Intercepted radio transmissions led Croatan and six destroyers to search for U-853 . The U-853 proved so elusive that Croatan 's crew nicknamed their prey "Moby Dick." After ten days of hunting, on 17 June Huff-Duff (HF/DF, high frequency direction finding) picked up
1927-444: Was fitted with a Schnorchel , a retractable air intake and exhaust that allowed the ship to remain submerged while running her diesel engines. The Schnorchel reduced the need to spend dangerous periods on the surface recharging batteries. On 23 February 1945 Germany sent U-853 on her third war patrol to harass US coastal shipping. Under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Frömsdorf, U-853 did not sink any targets during
German submarine U-853 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-426: Was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes , one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun , 220 rounds, and two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns . The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty. U-278 was mounted with two 2cm Flak C38 in a M43U Zwilling mount with short folding shield on
2021-430: Was found by sonar. On the morning of 6 May 1945 two K-Class blimps from Lakehurst , New Jersey, K-16 and K-58, joined the attack, locating oil slicks and marking suspected locations with smoke and dye markers. K-16 also attacked with 7.2-inch rocket bombs . Numerous depth charge and hedgehog attacks from Atherton and Moberly resulted in planking, life rafts, a chart tabletop, clothing, and an officer's cap floating to
2068-448: Was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing 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, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing 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
2115-535: Was removed in Type IXC and afterward. These long range boats were frequently equipped with Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 rotor kite towed rotary-wing aircraft. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built eight Type IXA U-boats. Type IXB was an improved model with an increased range. It was the most successful version overall with each boat averaging a total of over 100,000 GRT sunk. Notable IXB boats included U-123 commanded by Reinhard Hardegen , which opened up
2162-417: Was sent to harass United States coastal shipping. She destroyed USS Eagle 56 near Portland , Maine. Just days before Germany's surrender, U-853 torpedoed and sank the collier Black Point during the Battle of Point Judith . The day before Germany surrendered, American warships quickly found U-853 and sank her 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) east of Block Island , Rhode Island , resulting in
2209-496: Was set out to destroy the German U-boat. 41°13′01″N 71°27′00″W / 41.217°N 71.450°W / 41.217; -71.450 German Type IX submarine#Type IXC The Type IX U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off
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