| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | U-344 |
| Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder | Nordseewerke,Emden |
| Yard number | 216 |
| Laid down | 7 May 1942 |
| Launched | 29 January 1943 |
| Commissioned | 26 March 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk on 22 August 1944[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & 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[2][3] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 50 920 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | 1 warship sunk (1,350 tons) |
German submarineU-344 was aType VIICU-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II.
She was a member of twowolfpacks.
She was on her third patrol when she was sunk by a British aircraft on 22 August 1944.
She sank one warship.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-344 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[4] 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).[4]
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).[4] 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-344 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 two twin2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[4]
The submarine waslaid down on 7 May 1942 at theNordseewerke yard atEmden as yard number 216,launched on 29 January 1943 andcommissioned on 26 March under the command ofKapitänleutnant Ulrich Pietsch.
U-344 served with the8th U-boat Flotilla, for training and the3rd flotilla for operations from 1 April 1944. She was reassigned to the11th flotilla on 1 June 1944.
U-344 had sailed fromKiel in Germany toFlekkefjord (west ofKristiansand) and thenBergen in Norway in April and May 1944, but her first patrol began when she departed Bergen on 20 May and followed the Norwegian coastline. She arrived atNarvik on the 27th.
Her second foray involved criss-crossing theNorwegian Sea. At one point she passed east ofJan Mayen Island. She arrived atBogenbucht (west of Narvik) on 8 July 1944.
Having departed Bogenbucht on 3 August 1944, she sank the British sloopHMS Kite in theBarents Sea on the 21st. Of 226 crew, nine men survived the icy water. The next day, a BritishFairey Swordfish of825 Naval Air Squadron fromHMS Vindex, dropped a pattern ofdepth charges on the U-boat, sinking her. Fifty men died in the sinking; there were no survivors.[5]
U-344 was thought to have been sunk on 24 August 1944 in the Barents Sea off theNorth Cape by British warships: i.e. thesloopsHMS Mermaid andPeacock, thefrigateHMS Loch Dunvegan and the destroyerKeppel.U-354 was the victim.
U-344 took part in twowolfpacks, namely:
| Date | Ship Name | Tonnage[Note 1] | Nationality | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 August 1944 | HMS Kite | 1,350 | Sunk |