Немецкая подводная лодка U-853 времён Второй мировой войны

German World War II submarine

German submarine U 853 was a Type IXC/40 U boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 21 August 1942 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on 25 June 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U 853 saw action during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. She conducted three patrols, sinking two ships totalling and 430 tons. On her final patrol, U 853 was sent to harass United States coastal shipping. She destroyed Eagle 56 near Portland, Maine. Just days before Germany's surrender, U 853 torpedoed and sank the collier Black Point during the Battle of Point Judith. The day before Germany surrendered, American warships quickly found U 853 and sank her east of Block Island, Rhode Island, resulting in the loss of her entire crew. U 853 is a popular deep sea diving site. She rests in 121 feet (37 m) of water.

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U 853 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four stroke, nine cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at U 853 was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty eight.

U 853 was armed with a single 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U gun on the LM 42U mount. The LM 42U mount was the most common mount used with the 3.7 cm Flak M42U. The 3.7 cm Flak M42U was the marine version of the 3.7 cm Flak used by the Kriegsmarine on Type VII and Type IX U boats. U 853 had two 2cm Flak C38 in a M 43U Zwilling mount with short folding shield mounted on the upper Wintergarten. The M 43U mount was used on a number of U boats (U 190 was launched in ., U 249 was launched in ., U 250 was launched in ., U 278 was launched in ., U 337 was launched in ., U 475 was launched in ., U 1058 was launched in ., U 1109 was launched in ., U 1023 was launched in ., U 1105 was launched in ., U 1165 was launched in and U 1306 was launched in . ).

U 853 was built by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen. Ordered on 5 June 1941, her keel was laid on 21 August 1942 and she was commissioned on 25 June 1943.

On her first war patrol from May to June 1944, U 853 was assigned to weather watching duty under the command of Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer. German intelligence believed that weather conditions in the Atlantic could be used to help predict the timing of an Allied invasion of Europe. On 25 May 1944 U 853 spotted , loaded with American troops and supplies. The U boat submerged to attack, but was outrun by the much larger and faster ship. As she surfaced in Queen Mary's wake U 853 was attacked by Fairey Swordfish aircraft from British merchant aircraft carriers MV Ancylus and MV Empire MacKendrick. The U boat took no significant damage and returned fire, hitting all three aircraft. The planes were able to return to their carrier, but after recovery one was deemed a total loss and jettisoned. The escort carrier Croatan had been hunting weather boats for nearly a month and had already sunk U 488 was launched in and U 490 was launched in Intercepted radio transmissions led Croatan and six destroyers to search for U 853. The U 853 proved so elusive that Croatan's crew nicknamed their prey "Moby Dick." and returned to Lorient in northwest France. Sommer and a large number of the crew was declared unfit for duty. On 10 July Sommer was formally relieved by Oberleutnant zur See Otto Wermuth.

The boat remained in port until 27 August. Decorated veteran Korvettenkapitän Günter Kuhnke, Commander of the 10th U boat Flotilla, took command for her second patrol. U 853 operated this time in the Western Approaches off the British Isles, but in a period of seven weeks scored no successes. On completion she did not return to Lorient, but continued to Flensburg, Germany, arriving 14 October. Kuhnke assumed command of the 33rd U boat Flotilla upon arriving at Flensburg. He relinquished command of U 853 back to Frömsdorf, who took the U boat on her third and final patrol. Before departure U 853 was fitted with a Schnorchel, a retractable air intake and exhaust that allowed the ship to remain submerged while running her diesel engines. On 23 April she fatally torpedoed Eagle 56 near Portland, Maine. Eagle 56, a World War I era patrol boat, was towing targets for a United States Navy dive bomber training exercise off Cape Elizabeth when she exploded amidships and sank. Only 13 of the 67 crew survived. That same day Selfridge dropped nine depth charges on a suspected submarine.

On 5 May 1945, Reichspräsident of Nazi Germany Karl Dönitz ordered all U boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases. U 853 was lying in wait off Point Judith, Rhode Island, at the time. According to the US Coast Guard, U 853 either did not receive that order or, less likely, ignored it. She was the last US flagged merchant ship lost in World War II. Twelve men died and 34 crew members were rescued. One of the rescuing ships, Yugoslav freighter Kamen, sent a report of the torpedoing to authorities. The US Navy organized a "hunter killer" group that included four American warships: Ericsson, Amick, Atherton, and Moberly. The group discovered U 853 bottomed in , and dropped depth charges and hedgehogs during a 16 hour attack. At first, the U boat attempted to flee, then tried to hide by lying still. Both times it was found by sonar. On the morning of 6 May 1945 two K Class blimps from Lakehurst, New Jersey, K 16 and K 58, joined the attack, locating oil slicks and marking suspected locations with smoke and dye markers. K 16 also attacked with 7.2 inch rocket bombs. Numerous depth charge and hedgehog attacks from Atherton and Moberly resulted in planking, life rafts, a chart tabletop, clothing, and an officer's cap floating to the surface. U 853 was one of the last U boats sunk during World War II

U 853 lies east of Block Island in 130 feet (40 m) of water. The US Coast Guard pinpoints the location of the wreck at Most of the 55 crew member bodies remain within the hull, which is a war grave. It is one of the more popular dive sites in Southern New England. The hull has depth charge blast holes: one forward of the conning tower at the radio room and another in the starboard side of the engine room. Entering the wreck is dangerous due to debris, sharp metal edges, and confined spaces. Stephen Hardick died in 2005 while filming the U boat. He surfaced unconscious and could not be revived. Hardick, age 60, died as the result of saltwater drowning associated with poor health according to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner's office. On October 26, 2022, a live depth charge was found near the wreckage by fishermen based out of Rhode Island. The depth charge contained 267 pounds of TNT which was set out to destroy the German U boat.