View source for German submarine U-869

{{Short description|German World War II submarine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''U-869''
|Ship ordered=25 August 1941
|Ship builder=[[Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau]] [[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
|Ship yard number=1077
|Ship laid down=5 April 1943
|Ship launched=5 October 1943
|Ship commissioned=26 January 1944
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate=Sunk on 11 February 1945
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[German Type IX submarine#Type IXC/40|Type IXC/40]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=
*{{convert|1144|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|1257|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length=
*{{convert|76.76|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[o/a]]
*{{convert|58.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[pressure hull]]
|Ship beam=
*{{convert|6.86|m|ftin|abbr=on}} o/a
*{{convert|4.44|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pressure hull
|Ship height={{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|4.67|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*{{convert|4400|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (diesels)
*{{convert|1000|PS|kW shp|-1|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=
*2 shafts
*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[Motor-generator|electric motors]]
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|18.3|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|7.3|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
*{{convert|13,850|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|63|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth={{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=4 officers, 44 enlisted
|Ship sensors=FuMO-61 Hohentwiel U
|Ship armament=*6 × [[torpedo tube]]s (4 bow, 2 stern)
*22 × {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo]]es
*1 × [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/32]] [[deck gun]] (180 rounds)
*1 × [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} Flak M42]] AA gun
*2 x twin [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] AA guns
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label=Service record<ref name="uboatnet">{{Cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/u869.htm
 |title=The Type IXC/40 boat U-869
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=5 March 2010
}}</ref><ref name="patrols">{{Cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/u869.html
 |title=War Patrols by German U-boat U-869
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=5 March 2010
}}</ref>
|partof=
*[[4th U-boat Flotilla]]
*26 January – 30 November 1944
*[[33rd U-boat Flotilla]]
*1 December 1944 – 11 February 1945
|codes=M 49 163
|commanders=
*''[[Kptlt.]]'' Hellmut Neuerburg
*26 January 1944 – 11 February 1945
|operations=*1 patrol:
*8 December 1944 – 11 February 1945
|victories=None
}}
|}

'''German submarine ''U-869''''' was a [[German Type IX submarine|Type IXC/40]] [[U-boat]] of the German Navy (''[[Kriegsmarine]]'') during [[World War II]]; her keel was [[Keel laying|laid down]] 5 April 1943 by [[Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau]] [[AG Weser]] of [[Bremen]]. It was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 26 January 1944 with ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' Hellmut Neuerburg in command. Neuerburg went down with his boat. The wreck of ''U-869'' was discovered off the coast of [[New Jersey]] in 1991.

==Design==
[[German Type IX submarine#Type IXC/40|German Type IXC/40 submarines]] were slightly larger than the original [[German Type IX submarine#Type IXC|Type IXC]]s. ''U-869'' had a displacement of {{convert|1144|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|1257|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}} The U-boat had a total length of {{convert|76.76|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[pressure hull]] length of {{convert|58.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|6.86|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|4.67|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two [[MAN SE|MAN]] M 9 V 40/46 [[supercharged]] four-stroke, nine-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s producing a total of {{convert|4400|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two [[Siemens-Schuckert]] 2 GU 345/34 [[Motor–generator|double-acting electric motors]] producing a total of {{convert|1000|shp|PS kW|-1}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.92|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[propeller]]s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|18.3|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.3|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|63|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|13850|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. ''U-869'' was fitted with six {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 [[torpedo]]es, one [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} SK C/32 naval gun]], 180 rounds, and a [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} Flak M42]] as well as two twin [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of 48.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}}

==Service history==
''U-869'' conducted one [[World War II]] war patrol without success. It suffered no casualties to her crew until it was lost on 11 February 1945, with all but one of 56 crew members dead. The surviving crew member, Herbert Guschewski, was not on board, as he became ill just before the patrol. [[Robert Kurson]] chronicled the story of ''U-869''{{'}}s finding in the book ''[[Shadow Divers]]'' (2004).

===Engagement near Morocco===
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2015}}
On 28 February 1945, the American [[destroyer escort]] {{USS|Fowler|DE-222|6}} and the French [[submarine chaser]] ''L'Indiscret'' conducted a [[depth charge]] attack on a submerged contact in the Atlantic, near [[Rabat]], and reported a kill, although little visible evidence was presented to confirm the kill. Based on the information provided, [[Office of Naval Intelligence|U.S. Naval Intelligence]] rated the attacks "G—No Damage". ''U-869'' had been previously ordered by [[Karl Dönitz]] to move her area of operations from the North American coast to the [[Gibraltar]] area. Postwar investigators upgraded the rating from "G—No Damage" to "B—Probably Sunk", leading to an erroneous historical record that ''U-869'' was sunk near [[Gibraltar]]. For many years this attack was assumed to have been her end.

===Discovery off U.S. coast===
In 1991, [[Bill Nagle]], a former wreck diver and the captain of ''[[Seeker (dive vessel)|Seeker]]'', learned about a wreck off New Jersey and decided to mount a diving expedition to the site. On 2 September 1991, an unidentified U-boat wreck was discovered 73 meters (240&nbsp;feet) deep (a hazardous depth for standard [[scuba diving]]) off the coast of [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Report on U869 {{!}} Shadow Diver {{!}} John Chatterton |url=https://www.johnchatterton.com/final-report-on-u869/ |access-date=2023-04-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> Nicknamed ''U-Who'', the exact identity of the wreck was a matter of frequent debate, and initially the wreck was thought to be either {{GS|U-550||2}} or {{GS|U-521||2}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Report on U869 {{!}} Shadow Diver {{!}} John Chatterton |url=https://www.johnchatterton.com/final-report-on-u869/ |access-date=2023-04-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> The discoverers of ''U-Who'', [[John Chatterton]], [[Richie Kohler]], and [[Kevin Brennan (diver)|Kevin Brennan]], continued to dive the wreck for the next several years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.johnchatterton.com/project-files/u869/|title=U-869|author=John Chatterton|author-link=John Chatterton|access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref>  (Three divers, [[Steve Feldman]], [[The Last Dive|Chris Rouse and "Chrissy" Rouse]], died exploring ''U-869''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chowdhury, Bernie|title= The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1063862.The_Last_Dive|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=9780060194628|date=2000}}</ref>) Eventually, the team recovered a knife inscribed with "Horenburg", a crew member's name. However, they learned at the U-boat archives that ''U-869'' was supposedly sent to Africa, so this piece of evidence was initially disregarded. A few years later, they found part of the UZO torpedo aiming device, and a spare parts box from the motor room engraved with serial and other identifying numbers. On 31 August 1997 they concluded that the boat they found was ''U-869''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert Kurson|author-link=Robert Kurson|title=[[Shadow Divers]]|year=2004|isbn=0-345-48247-6}}</ref>

The location of the wreck is approximately {{coord|39|32|56|N|73|19|56|W|type:landmark}}.

===Cause of sinking===
The men who found ''U-869'' believed it was a victim of her own torpedo, which may have become a "circle-runner". Torpedoes manufactured later in the war had acoustical seeking capability. It was theorized that the torpedo was initially fired in a turning pattern and when it missed her target, it picked up the sound of the submarine's propeller. At least two other German U-boats supposedly have been lost due to their own torpedoes: {{GS|U-377||2}} in 1944 and {{GS|U-972||2}} in late 1943. Chatterton and Kohler based their theory largely on a lack of evidence to support other causes for sinking. They claimed there was no reported naval activity in the vicinity, thereby ruling out a sinking by attack. Moreover, the damage to the hull was from the outside and thereby ruled out an internal explosion. This problem also affected the US submarine force at least twice, as seen with {{USS|Tang|SS-306|6}} and {{USS|Tullibee|SS-284|6}}.

[[Gary Gentile]], a noted wreck diver, researcher, and author, rejects Chatteron and Kohler's theory. He cites attack logs and eyewitness accounts from the crew of two [[destroyer escort]]s suggesting that the U-boat was initially damaged with a [[Hedgehog (weapon)|hedgehog]] launched by the {{USS|Howard D. Crow|DE-252|6}} and then subsequently damaged with a depth charge by the accompanying {{USS|Koiner|DE-331|6}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gentile |first1=Gary |date=2006 |title=[[Shadow Divers Exposed]] |isbn=978-1-883056-24-7}}</ref>

The [[United States Coast Guard]], in its official evaluation of the evidence, discarded the circle-running torpedo theory and awarded the sinking to the two destroyers. This was confirmed by Marlyn Berkey, who was on a destroyer as part of the Pacific fleet entering [[New York Harbor]] after the war's end; the submarine showed up on sonar, Berkey's destroyer depth charged the sub, it sank as evidenced by oil and debris that floated on the surface; the destroyer's crew was allowed to place a broom upside down atop the mainmast coming into New York, which meant "clean sweep".{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} Contributing to their findings are two damage holes in the wreck of ''U-869'', which are more consistent with the attack reports that cited two explosions than with the circle runner theory which would only explain one hole. The official records state that ''U-869'' was destroyed on 11 February 1945 by two U.S. destroyer escorts, ''Howard D. Crow'' and ''Koiner''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/WEBCUTTERS/U869_Crow_Koiner.asp|title=The Sinking of the U-869|last=Moyers |first=Harold |access-date= 27 December 2016 |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]]}}</ref> [[John Chatterton]], one of the divers who discovered ''U-869'' in 1991, states in ''[[Wreck Diving Magazine]]'' his belief that the two U.S. destroyer escorts attacked the wreck of ''U-869'' after the U-boat had been struck by her own torpedo.<ref>{{cite news|work=Wreck Diving Magazine|issue=19|title=John Chatterton's statement}}</ref>

===Survival of crew member===

One crew member survived by virtue of not having been aboard. Second Radio Officer Herbert Guschewski came down with [[pneumonia]] and [[pleurisy]] shortly before the boat's departure. Like others, Guschewski did not learn what happened to the crew until 1999. He watched a program which eventually became the PBS ''[[Nova (American TV series)|NOVA]]'' episode "Hitler's Lost Sub" and contacted the producers shortly afterward, who interviewed him and placed a portion of it in the 2000 American broadcast.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/survivor.html |title=Hitler's Last Sub {{!}} Sole Survivor |work=[[PBS]] |date=November 2000 |access-date=18 July 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Busch |first1=Rainer |last2=Röll |first2=Hans-Joachim |title=Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 |date=1999|volume=IV |publisher=Mittler|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn |isbn=3-8132-0514-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXKwAAAAIAAJ |language=de}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths|author=Chowdhury, Bernie Chowdhury|publisher=Harper Paperbacks|date=2002|pages=384 |isbn=0-06-093259-7}}
*{{Cite book|title=Shadow Divers Exposed|author=Gentile, Gary|author-link=Gary Gentile|year=2006 |publisher=Bellerophon Bookworks |isbn=978-1-883056-24-7}}
*{{cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Eric |last2=Jung |first2=Dieter |last3=Maass |first3=Martin |translator-last1=Thomas|translator-first1=Keith|translator-last2=Magowan|translator-first2=Rachel |title=German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels |date=1991 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |volume=2 |isbn=0-85177-593-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Udg-0AEACAAJ|ref=CITEREFGröner1991}}
*{{Cite book|title=[[Shadow Divers]]|date=2004|author=Kurson, Robert |isbn=0-375-50858-9}}

{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/ ''Hitler's Lost Sub'' Educational website companion to PBS NOVA documentary originally broadcast 14 November 2000. Includes "virtual tour" of submarine and account of survivor.] Accessed 15 November 2006.
* [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/divers-tell-tale-of-mystery-sub/ Divers Tell Tale Of Mystery Sub: U-Who? 6-Year Search Nets Answers] 2 September 2005. Lengthy [[CBS]] News story including photographs of surviving divers. Accessed 15 November 2006.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110201211106/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/01/60II/main811960.shtml ''Hitler's Lost Sub'' Transcript of the 14 November 2000 documentary.] Accessed 15 November 2006.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090602094403/http://christinayoung.com/pages/diving/seeker/u-869-00a.htm Dive photos of ''U-869'' wreck from 2000.]

{{Coord|39|19|48|N|73|12|00|W|type:landmark|display=title}}

{{German Type IXC/40 submarines}}
{{February 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0869}}
[[Category:German Type IX submarines]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1944]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1945]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the New Jersey coast]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by depth charges]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by US warships]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1945]]