SHIP HISTORY: (Sources:Wynn)
Commander: KL Hellmut Rathke [August, 1941 to May 5, 1942] Group: 3rd U-Flotille, Kiel/La Pallice Patrols: 3/Ships Sunk: 0 Patrol I: 1/15/1942 left Kiel, Germany; 1/19/1942 arrived Bergen, Norway Patrol II: 1/20/1942 Left Bergen, Norway for operations in the Atlantic Ocean Assigned as one of 12 boats to form a "wolfpack" just west of Rockall Scotland, in patrol the convoy routes. The U-352 along with 7 other boats were ordered to patrol the Iceland/Scotland/Faroes area in search of a convoy assembly area; No activity was found; After performing some weather observation duty, the U-352 returned to base 2/26/1942 arrived St. Nazaire, France Patrol III: 4/7/1942 Left St. Nazaire, France for the east coast of the United States • Was refueled in late April by U-459 approximately 500 NE of Bermuda and continued on towards the Hatteras area off North Carolina • Over the course of two days (5/5 to 5/6), the u-boat trailed the Swedish ship SS Freden in an attempt to sink her. The U-352 fired a total of 4 torpedoes but all failed to hit or detonate in the ship. Convinced of its impending "death", the captain of the Freden ordered "abandon ship" two different times. In the end, the Freden made it successfully to New York and the U-352 headed towards North Carolina looking for a way to assuage its frustrations. • On 5/7/1942,. the U-352 was spotted on a the surface by a patroling aircraft and was aerial depth-charged. It submerged and escaped undamaged • On 5/9/1942, the U-352 spotted another vessel and quickly fired two torpedoes. Both failed to hit their target. The ship turned out to be the US Coast Guard Cutter Icarus which quickly turned and made its initial attack run on the U-352. The Icarus fired 5 depth charges which severely damaged the u-boat internally, wrecked the conning tower and blew off its deckgun. Two more depth charge attacks forced the U-352 to the surface where the u-boat commander KL Rathke ordered the scuttling and abandonment of his ship. The Icarus continued its attack with machine guns and 3 inch guns while the u-boat crew attempted to abandon ship. In the end, 17 crew were killed and the rest were taken to Charleston, SC as prisoners of war. [Action Reports - USCG Cutter Icarus / POW Interrogation Report]
USCG Cutter Icarus arrives in Charleston, SC with U-352 survivors (23)		U-352 survivors after disembarking from the USCG Cutter Icarus (23)
U-352 Commander KL Hellmut Rathke (2nd from L) (23)		U-352 survivors in POW mess hall (23)
Looking down the pressure hull at the deck gun mount with conning tower in the background. Battery loading hatchway just forward of the deck gun mount (circa 2009)
U-352 (circa 2023) the rusted edges are the only thing left of about half of the port side external ballast tanks

DIVING NOTES:

Diving Depths: 100-115 ft.

Visibility: Generally very good; range 50 to 100+ ft.

Current: Slight to moderate

Summer Temperature: high 70s to lo 80s

Points of Interest: Hey! It's a U-Boat! What more needs to be said?

Fish/Animal Life: The usual array of NC marine life, with unusually smart grouper and small tropical fish.

Description:This is the wreck that most of the people first come to North Carolina to dive. The wreck is small and intact and can be circumnavigated a couple of times during a normal dive. It is sitting on its keel, with a strong (45 degree?) list to the starboard side. Most of what you see on the bottom is the remains of the pressure hull. The U-boat's outer casing has, for the most part, rusted away. Back in the day, the rounded edges of the u-boat made it a very hard wreck for captains to anchor into, but the recent technique of a mate rolling in with the anchor and GPS, the captains can pick the spot to tie into. UPDATE 2009: I recently returned to the U-352 after not diving it....at least in the daylight...for nearly a decade. Did two dives on it and had a unexpectedly good time each dive. The wreck has some classic "Kodak moments" and has an abundance of small to mid-size marine life. The starboard propeller has uncovered...something I certainly don't remember from 10 years ago and the bow seems to have collapsed and twisted a bit more. A fun dive, but still gets a bit crowded for my tastes if you are diving more than a "6 pack" or another boat beats you to the site. UPDATE 2023: I have gotten to enjoy this wreck more in the recent years as part of the BFDC WreckQuest dives. It is great to do as a second dive, especially if there is someone on the WreckQuest that has never done the U-352 before and we know there is good conditions. Maybe it is nostalgia, but with many of our NC wrecks collapsing with age and their icon parts now only memories from the 1970s and 80s, the u-boat is mostly unchanged and it is a unique and thrilling sight as you drop down the anchor line. PHOTOS: With ideal conditions, dropping down onto the U-352 is still thrilling even if it isn't your first time With ideal conditions, dropping down onto the U-352 is still thrilling even if it isn't your first time Stern toropedo loading hatch Stern view Conning tower hatch. Forward torpedo loading hatch Bow control machinery High pressure flask Close-up of the gun mount Port-side, bow diving plane Bow, torpedo-loading hatch External bow torpedo tubes at the pressure hull Stern port side diving planes and propeller shaft Port-side propeller shaft, rudder and diving plane Starboard-side propeller Unless specifically noted, all photos, text and content Copyright © 2023 by Paul M. Hudy