Patrol info for U-77
Date lookup for 28 Mar 1943
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 3 Mar 1943 | La Spezia | 29 Mar 1943 | Lost | 27 days |
Commander | Officers * |
 Oblt. Otto Hartmann |
U-77's position on 28 Mar 1943
Ships hit by U-77 on this date
General Events during this patrol
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Attacks on U-77 during this patrol
28 Mar 1943
The sinking of U-77
The boat was attacked with depth charges by a Hudson (500 Sqn RAF/C, pilot P/O F.J. Clarke) on patrol east of Cartagena in position 37°42N/00°10E and dived immediately on being attacked. Water entered through a serious leak in the engine room, which forced U-77 to surface later, unable to dive. Hartmann reported his situation to the FdU while en route to Toulon, and was instructed to enter the neutral port of Alicante to make repairs under international maritime law. U-380 (Röther) was ordered to meet the boat to take off most of the crew to avoid internment in Spain, but before that could happen, Hudson Mk. IIIA T9430 (233 Sqn RAF/L, pilot F/O E.F. Castell) found U-77 at 17.45 hrs between Cabo San Antonio and Ibiza. Despite fierce flak, the aircraft made several attack runs, firing 3000 rounds of .303 ammunition and dropping four depth charges and a single A/S bomb, which detonated only 15 yards abaft the stern, for which F/O Castell was awarded the DFC.
The badly damaged boat managed to escape with the coming of dusk and continued to Alicante, but during the night both electric motors broke down, and as she lost way U-77 began to go down, sinking at 01.15 hrs on 29 March south of Cape Nao, Spain (the wreck has been located at a depth of 80m in position 38°33.334N/00°14.875E). The crew abandoned ship in one rubber dinghy and makeshift rafts made from deck planks, but the commander and 37 others died from exposure or drowning. Several hours later nine survivors were rescued by a Spanish fishing boat from Denia. They landed at Altea on 30 March, and were eventually repatriated. 36 bodies washed ashore in Spain, the commander and four men being buried at Altea, and 31 others at Calpe. In 1983 they were reinterred at the cemetery at Cuacos de Yuste, Provincia de Cáceres, Spain.
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* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.