U-377

Type

VIIC

Ordered

16 Oct 1939

Laid down

8 Apr 1940

Howaldtswerke AG, Kiel (werk 8)

Launched

15 Aug 1941

Commissioned

2 Oct 1941

Kptlt. Otto Köhler

Commanders

2 Oct 1941 - 2 Aug 1943	Otto Köhler
3 Aug 1943 - 17 Jan 1944	Oblt. Gerhard Kluth
22 Sep 1943 - 10 Oct 1943	Ltn. Ernst-August Gerke

Career

11 patrols

2 Oct 1941 - 1 Feb 1942  6. Flottille (training)
1 Feb 1942 - 30 Jun 1942  6. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jul 1942 - 28 Feb 1943  11. Flottille (front boat)
1 Mar 1943 - 17 Jan 1944  9. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

No ships sunk or damaged

Fate

Sunk 17 Jan, 1944 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 49.39N, 20.10W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Wanderer and the British frigate HMS Glenarm. 52 dead (all hands lost).

View the 11 war patrols

The boat is often listed as sunk by its own acoustic (T5) torpedo on Jan 15. This is for example documented in Showell's U-boat Command and the Battle of the Atlantic. The author's father was lost on that boat and thus he has researched its fate considerably. The Kriegsmarine received at least 2 unsigned but coded emergency messages around this time but at least one of them seems to have been from U-305.

Previously recorded fate
(Last revised by Axel Niestlé during September 2003. More on revised fates.

Sunk on 15 Jan, 1944 in the North Atlantic, in approximate position 46N, 20W, by one of its circling torpedoes.

Also
Sunk 15 Jan, 1944 in the Atlantic by rockets and depth charges from aircraft of the US escort Carrier USS Santee.

Wolfpack operations

U-377 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Ritter (14 Feb 1943 - 20 Feb 1943)
   Neptun (20 Feb 1943 - 3 Mar 1943)
   Amsel (25 Apr 1943 - 4 May 1943)
   Amsel II (4 May 1943 - 6 May 1943)
   Elbe 2 (11 May 1943 - 13 May 1943)
   Leuthen (26 Aug 1943 - 22 Sep 1943)

Attacks on this boat

22 Sep 1943
On 22 Sept a B-24 Liberator (Sqdn 10) attacked the U-377, wounding the commander. The boat had to return to port under the command of the I WO.

U-377 after its return to base. Behind the flotilla commander is the wounded commander Oblt.z.S. Kluth

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

22 Sep 1943
On 22 Sept a Liberator (Sqdn 10) attacked the U-377, wounding the commander. The boat had to return to port under the command of the I WO.