U-363

Type

VIIC

Ordered

20 Jan 1941

Laid down

23 Dec 1941

Flensburger Schiffsbau-Ges, Flensburg (werk 482)

Launched

17 Dec 1942

Commissioned

18 Mar 1943

Oblt. Wolf-Werner Wilzer

Commanders

18 Mar 1943	-	31 Aug 1943		Oblt. Wolf-Werner Wilzer
1 Sep 1943	-	9 May 1945		Kptlt. Werner Nees

Career
7 patrols

18 Mar 1943	-	31 May 1944	8. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1944	-	14 Sep 1944	11. Flottille (active service)
15 Sep 1944	-	8 May 1945	13. Flottille (active service)

Successes

No ships sunk or damaged

Fate

Surrendered on 9 May 1945 at Narvik, Norway (Waller & Niestlé, 2010).

Transferred to Loch Eriboll, Scotland, on 19 May 1945 and later to Lisahally.

Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info)
Sunk on 31 Dec, 1945 in position 55.45N, 08.18W.

Final location

View the 7 war patrols

The U-boats that were in the Narvik area at the end of the war were all moved to the Skjomenfjord upon Allied orders to avoid conflicts with the Norwegians on 12 May. On 15 May, a German convoy of five ships (the fleet tender Grille with the staff of FdU Norwegen aboard, the fleet oiler Kärnten, the repair ship Kamerun and the depot ships Huascaran and Stella Polaris) and 15 U-boats (U-278, U-294, U-295, U-312, U-313, U-318, U-363, U-427, U-481, U-668, U-716, U-968, U-992, U-997 and U-1165) left for transfer to Trondheim, but was intercepted after two days by the 9th Escort Group off the Norwegian coast and officially capitulated. While the ships were allowed to proceed to Trondheim, the U-boats were escorted to Loch Eriboll, Scotland, arriving on 19 May. All U-boats were later that month transferred to Lisahally or Loch Ryan for Operation Deadlight.

Wolfpack operations

U-363 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Trutz (2 Jun 1944 - 28 Jun 1944)
   Trutz (17 Aug 1944 - 30 Aug 1944)
   Zorn (29 Sep 1944 - 1 Oct 1944)
   Grimm (1 Oct 1944 - 2 Oct 1944)
   Panther (16 Oct 1944 - 10 Nov 1944)
   Stier (28 Nov 1944 - 4 Dec 1944)
   Hagen (13 Mar 1945 - 21 Mar 1945)
   Faust (21 Apr 1945 - 1 May 1945)

Attacks on this boat and other events

24 Apr 1945
Depth charges from a hunter-killer group damaged the periscope so badly that the boat had to return to base.

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-363 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.