| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-370 |
| Ordered | 20 August 1941 |
| Builder | Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft,Flensburg |
| Yard number | 493 |
| Laid down | 21 November 1942 |
| Launched | 24 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 19 November 1943 |
| Fate | Scuttled in northern Germany on 5 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIICsubmarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth |
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| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 06 266 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | 2 warships sunk (832 tons) |
German submarineU-370 was aType VIICU-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II.
She carried out twelve patrols before being scuttled in northern Germany on 5 May 1945.
She sank two warships.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-370 had 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 hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoAEG GU 460/8–27double-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 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-370 was 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, and two2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
The submarine waslaid down on 21 November 1942 at theFlensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard atFlensburg as yard number 493,launched on 24 September 1943 andcommissioned on 19 November under the command ofOberleutnant zur See Karl Nielsen.
She served with the4th U-boat Flotilla from 19 November 1943, the8th flotilla from 1 August 1944 and was back with the 4th flotilla on 16 February 1945.
U-370 spent her entire career in the relatively confined waters of theBaltic Sea and theGulf of Finland.
The boat's first patrol was preceded by trips fromKiel to Marviken and then back to Kiel, from where she departed on 9 July 1944. She sailed through the Baltic and into the Gulf of Finland, arriving at Reval, (nowTallinn in Estonia),[4] on 12 July.
She spent the rest of her career in theOstsee, sinking the Soviet Patrol boatMO-101 inBjörkö Sound on 31 July 1944 during her fifth patrol.
During her ninth sortieMatrosengefreiter Erwin Stiegeler was swept overboard in the Baltic on 23 September 1944.
It was while on her eleventh foray that she sank theFinnish minelayer Louhi (12 January 1945).
U-370 was scuttled inGeltinger Bucht (east of Flensburg) on 5 May 1945. The wreck wasbroken up in 1948.
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 July 1944 | Mo-101 |  Soviet Navy | 56 | Sunk |
| 12 January 1945 | Louhi |  Finnish Navy | 776 | Sunk |
