German submarine U-348


German submarine U-348 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out six patrols but sank no ships.
She was sunk near Hamburg by US bombs.

Design

were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-348 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 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-348 was fitted with five torpedo tubes, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 17 November 1942 at the Nordseewerke yard at Emden as yard number 220, launched on 26 June 1943 and commissioned on 10 August under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Norbert Schunck*.
U-348 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, for training and then with the 9th flotilla for operations from 1 April 1944. She came back under the command of the 8th flotilla on 12 July and was reassigned to the 5th flotilla on 16 February 1945; she stayed with that organization until her destruction on 30 March.
U-348 made short trips from Kiel in Germany to Stavanger, Kristiansand and Bergen in Norway in April 1944.

1st, 2nd 3rd patrols

Her first patrol began with her departure from Bergen on 23 April 1944. The detonation of a landmine near Stavanger on 6 May killed one man and wounded another. She returned to Bergen on the 15th.
The submarine's second foray was uneventful.
U-348s third patrol was preceded by more short trips, this time between Trondheim, Kiel and Reval,.

4th, 5th and 6th patrols

The boat's fourth sortie was divided into three parts in July and August 1944, but kept to the Ostsee.
Patrol number five was sub-divided into four. It included departures from Helsinki in Finland and Reval and arrivals at Mösholm and Libau.
Her sixth patrol from Danzig terminated in Swinemünde.

Fate

She moved from Swinemünde to Hamburg in February 1945. On 30 March she was destroyed by US bombs during an air-raid.