German submarine U-854

German submarine U-854 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-854 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-854 was fitted with six torpedo tubes, 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-854 was ordered on 5 June 1941 from DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen under the yard number 1060. Her keel was laid down on 21 September 1942 and the U-boat was launched the following year on 5 April 1943. She was commissioned into service under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Weiher in 4th U-boat Flotilla.
While training in the Baltic Sea, U-854 rescued survivors of, which had collided with, and brought them to Hel. On 4 February 1944 the U-boat was on its way back to Swinemünde, when she struck a mine - one of a barrage 'Geranium', that had been laid by the British Royal Air Force. 51 crew members died, seven survived.