Type | VIIC/41 | |||||||||
| Ordered | 14 Oct 1941 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 18 Jan 1943 | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 203) | ||||||||
| Launched | 27 Oct 1943 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 9 Dec 1943 | Ltnt. Werner Strübing | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 2 patrols |
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| Successes | No ships sunk or damaged | |||||||||
| Fate | Scuttled 23 March, 1945 in the Northern Channel 8 - 10 miles north of Inistrahull beacon (Malin Head), in position 55.25N, 06.53W, after ramming with Canadian frigate HMCS New Glasgow, on 20 Mar, 1945. 17 dead and 31 survivors. | |||||||||
HMCS New Glasgow had spotted the snorkel of U-1003 off the port bow and prepared for a depth charge attack, but was herself damaged when the U-boat collided with the frigate just below the bridge. A massive U-boat hunt then took place with 14 Allied ships (Escort Groups C-4, 25 and 26) hunting for hours but the heavily damaged boat managed to elude them and then sat on the bottom for 48 hours for repairs. The severe damages forced the crew to scuttle their boat at the coast of Ireland on 23 March. The commander and 14 crew members were lost. 33 men were picked up by HMCS Thetford Mines, but two of them died and were buried at sea.
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in October 1944 but it was of course installed prior to that date. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.
Men lost from the boat
7 Feb 1944
During the boat's trials in the Baltic near Hela one man died when he fell overboard while transferring to an outpost boat (V-Boot). [Funkgefreiter Werner Guhl]
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
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