U-853


Type IXC/40
Laid down 21 Aug 1942
Commissioned 25 June 1943 Kptlt. Helmut Sommer
Commanders 06.43 - 07.44
07.44 - 08.44
08.44 - 10.44
10.44 - 05.45 		Kptlt. Helmut Sommer
Oblt. Otto Wermuth
Korvkpt. Günther Kuhnke* Knights Cross
Oblt. Helmut Frömsdorf
Career 3 patrols 06.43 - 03.44 4th Flotilla (Stettin)
04.44 - 10.44 10th Flotilla
33rd Flotilla (Flensburg)
Successes 2 ships sunk for a total of 5,783 tons
including the US corvette USS Eagle (430 tons).
Fate Sunk 6 May, 1945 in the North Atlantic southeast of New London, in position 41.13N, 71.27W, by depth charges from the US destroyer escort USS Atherton , the Patrol frigate Moberly, and destroyer USS Ericsson DD440. 55 dead (all crew lost).

Some sources state that the destroyer USS Ericsson (DD-440) is also credited with the sinking of the boat, while others disagree. The USN gives her partial credit as can be seen in her history section of this website.

This author firmly believes that the USS Ericsson was a participant in the sinking of U853. In recent correspondence with a USS Ericsson crewmember, Joe Lee Ridley of Tennessee, he gives the following account::

" On May 6, 1945, a Sunday morning, two other vessels had a German Uboat pinned down. After getting the call to head to the location, the Ericsson made the passes over the Uboat and dropped multiple depth charges on top of her. Shortly after, bubbles, oil, life jacket,German 1st Officers cap, etc. surfaced. There is no doubt in my mind that the USS John D. Ericsson DD440 is responsible for the sinking of U853."

* Korvkpt. Kuhnke was in August 1944 Commander of the 10th flotilla. He went back to Germany with U-853 (left Lorient, France on 27 August, 1944 and reached Flensburg on 14 October 1944). Then he took over command of the 33rdFlotilla.

The boat was discovered after the war and is now near Block Island, RI. There are bodies still in the hull, please let them rest in peace. dive site.

For more on this story, please goto:: Hunt and Kill of U-853

Go Back to the Action against the U-boats Page

Information was provided by Uboat.net and Richard Angelini. I would also like to thank Bill Browder, Jr. and his grandfather, Ericsson DD440 crewmember Joe Lee Ridley, for the first hand information of the sinking of U853.