U 352
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U
352 was a type VIIC uboat laid down at Flensburger
Sciffsbau in March 1940. She was launched in May 1941 and
put under command Käpitanleutnant
Hellmut Ratke. In February 1942 she was transferred to St.
Nazaire in France and sent on a patrol as a front boat on
the US east coast. They tried to torpedo what they
believed was a coastal freighter outside
Cape Hatteras 9. May 1942, but both torpedoes
missed their target. This ship turned out to be the coast
guard ship USS Icarus who immediately turned around and
engaged the uboat. She launched five depth charges that
destroyed the conning tower on U 352, and after additional
two near misses by depth charges, Hellmut Rathke was
forced to give the order to surface. Orders to abandon
ship was given, and while the crew tried to abandon ship,
USS Icarus opened fire. Fifteen men of were gunned down
and the rest taken prisoners of war. The wreck was found
in 1975 on
a depth of 30 to 35 meter southeast of Morehead City.
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| 34°13'40.98" N 76°33'53.64" W  Picture: U 352 Courtesy of Uboat.net Interested in uboats and their commanders? Visit Uboat Net Last updated: January 2021 |
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