U-359

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered6 Aug 1940
Laid down 9 Jun 1941 Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges, Flensburg (werk 478)
Launched11 Jun 1942
Commissioned5 Oct 1942Ltnt. Heinz Förster
Commanders
5 Oct 1942 - 26 Jul 1943  Oblt. Heinz Förster
Career3 patrols 5 Oct 1942 - 28 Feb 1943  8. Flottille (training)
1 Mar 1943 - 26 Jul 1943  7. Flottille (front boat)
SuccessesNo ships sunk or damaged
Fate

Sunk 26 July, 1943 in the Caribbean south of Santo Domingo, in position 18.06N, 75.00W, by depth charges from an American Mariner aircraft (VP Sqdn. 32, P-12). 47 dead (all hands lost).

View the 3 war patrols

Previously recorded fate
(Last revised by Axel Niestlé during December 1997. More on revised fates.

An attack on 28 July, 1943 by Mariner aircraft P-1 of USN Squadron VP-32 in fact sank the U-159.

Wolfpack operations

U-359 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Neptun (18 Feb 1943 - 3 Mar 1943)
   Westmark (6 Mar 1943 - 11 Mar 1943)
   Rhein (8 May 1943 - 11 May 1943)

Attacks on this boat

3 Jul 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:American B-24 Liberator (1st A/S Sqdn USAAF, pilot 1Lt H.W. Fraser)

Around 18.15 hours, U-359 and U-466 were attacked by the Liberator west of Oporto, Portugal. The aircraft strafed them and dropped 3 bombs that fell between the boats, which both fired at the aircraft and crash-dived undamaged at 18.26 hours. The Germans had observed AA hits on the bomber and it apparently crashed shortly after the attack, killing its entire crew of 10.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-359 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.


We have an emblem for this boat!

You can view it here. (The emblem on the left is not the emblem for this boat).



U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2

Wynn, Kenneth


Buy this title at


amazon.com
See more sellers

Books dealing with this subject include:

German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Niestle, Axel, 1998.
Hitler's U-boat War. Blair, Clay, 1996.
Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II. Blair, Clay, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.