Ships hit by U-boats


Louhi

Finnish Minelayer



Photo from Finnish Wartime Photograph Archive SA-Kuva #106787

NameLouhi
Type:Minelayer
Tonnage776 tons
Completed1916 - Kolomna Shipyard, Moscow 
OwnerFinnish Navy 
Homeport 
Date of attack12 Jan 1945Nationality:      Finnish
 
FateSunk by U-370 (Karl Nielsen)
Position59° 40'N, 23° 05'E - Grid AO 0253
Complement41 officers and men (10 dead and 31 survivors).
Convoy
Route 
Cargo 
History Built as Russian Voin and taken over as M-1 by Finland when the country declared independency in 1918. 1936 renamed Louhi.

On 3 January 1940 the S-2 hit a mine and sank off Märket lighthouse, Åland Islands. The minefield of 190 mines had been laid by Louhi in December 1939. 
Notes on event

At 11.50 hours on 12 Jan 1945, an explosion occured under the Louhi that was returning with the Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi from the minelaying operation Vantaa 3 south of Russarö under escort of two Soviet MO-class submarine hunters. The ship sank within two minutes and the survivors were picked up by the escorts shortly thereafter. A long time it was believed that the vessel probably hit a mine from a deep laid Soviet barrage in the area because no German claim could be found. But years later the wreck was located in a depth of 40 meters and shows signs of a torpedo explosion. U-370 had reported an unsuccessful attack with two Gnats on a group of warships in the area on that day, so it is very likely that one of the Gnats had in fact hit the minelayer.

This was the last U-boat success in the Baltic Sea. The mine barrage Vantaa 3 consisted of 160 mines in two lines and in the following weeks U-745 (von Trotha) and U-676 (Sass) were both lost with all hands after hitting mines south of Hanko.

 


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Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)

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