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</script> </div> <div align="center"> <h3><a href="/boats/">List of all U-boats</a></h3><h1>U-869</h1> </div> <div align="center"> <table class="table_subtle width650"><tr> <td class="width100"><h3>Type</h3></td><td class="width95" align="center" class="seperator"><h3><a href="/types/ixc40.htm" class="header">IXC/40</a></h3></td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Ordered</td><td class="seperator">25 Aug 1941</td><td><br/></td></tr> <tr><td>Laid down</td><td class="seperator">5 Apr 1943</td> <td class="seperator"><a href="/technical/shipyards/ag-weser.htm">AG Weser, Bremen</a> (werk 1077)</td></tr> <tr><td>Launched</td><td class="seperator">5 Oct 1943</td><td><br/></td></tr> <tr><td>Commissioned</td><td class="seperator">26 Jan 1944</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. Hellmut Neuerburg</td></tr> <tr><td>Commanders</td> <td colspan="2" class="seperator"><table class="table-clean"><tr><td class="width85 right">26 Jan 1944</td><td> - </td><td class="width90 right">11 Feb 1945</td><td>  </td><td>Kptlt. <a href="/men/commanders/871.html"> Hellmut Neuerburg</a></td></tr></table></td></tr> <tr><td>Career<br><a href="/boats/patrols/u869.html">1 patrol</a></td><td colspan="2" class="seperator"><table class="table-clean"><tr><td class="right">26 Jan 1944</td><td>-</td><td class="right">30 Nov 1944</td><td>  <a href="/flotillas/4flo.htm">4. Flottille</a> (training)<br></td></tr><tr><td class="right">1 Dec 1944</td><td>-</td><td class="right">11 Feb 1945</td><td>  <a href="/flotillas/33flo.htm">33. Flottille</a> (active service)<br></td></tr></table></td></tr> <tr><td>Successes</td><td colspan="2" class="seperator">No ships sunk or damaged</td></tr> <tr><td class="width100">Fate</td> <td colspan="2" class="width400 seperator"> <p>The boat was sunk on Feb 11 1945 off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts <a href=/allies/warships/ship/1550.html>USS Howard D. Crow</a> and <a href=/allies/warships/ship/1561.html>USS Koiner</a>. 56 dead (all hands lost). <em>(US Coast Guard, June 2005).</em></p> </td></tr> <tr><td>Loss position</td> <td colspan="3"> <style media="screen" type="text/css"> #mapFate {width:510px; height: 270px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px;} </style> <div id="mapFate" align="center"></div> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"> var mymap = L.map('mapFate').setView([40.33, -73.02], 4) L.tileLayer('/map-tiles/{z}/{x}/{y}.png', { attribution: 'map 漏 OpenStreetMap contributors | ship info by uboat.net', maxZoom: 10, }).addTo(mymap); var iconFate = L.icon({ iconUrl: '/media/maps/googlemarkers/orange_Marker.png', iconSize: [20, 34], iconAnchor: [10, 34], }); var marker = L.marker([39.55, -73.03], {icon: iconFate}).addTo(mymap).bindPopup('<strong>U-869</strong>. The boat was sunk on Feb 11 1945 off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts <a href=/allies/warships/ship/1550.html>USS Howard D. Crow</a> and <a href=/allies/warships/ship/1561.html>USS Koiner</a>.'); </script> </td> </tr> </table>  <p class="np"><a href="/boats/patrols/u869.html">View the 1 war patrol</a><br></p> </div> <p><p>The boat was sunk near convoy CU 58 off New Jersey.</p> <p>The fate for this boat was revised once again, probably for the last time, in June 2005. Read more about it here on the <a href="http://www.uscg.mil/history/uscghist/U869.asp">US Coast Guard site</a>.</p> <h3><a href="/boats/u869.htm">U-869</a> is confirmed as the mysterious "U-Who"</h3><p> A German U-boat was found off the coast of <a href="/maps/us_east_coast.htm">New Jersey, USA</a> on 2 Sept, 1991 by several divers. On 31 August, 1997 these same divers reported evidence that the boat they found is <a href="/boats/u869.htm">U-869</a> (knife inscribed with a <a href="/boats/u869.htm">U-869</a> crew member's name, UZO torpedo aiming device, machinery-numbers from the engine room). This location is at 39.33N, 73.20W in about 230 feet (around 73m) of water. She is thus a very advanced <a href="/fates/dive/dive_us.htm">dive site</a>. </p> <p><a href=/maps/><img src=/media/maps/u869.gif width=437 height=271 alt=""></a></p> <p>This location is extremely far from the Gibraltar area which <a href="/boats/u869.htm">U-869</a> was claimed to have been sunk in (see the <font color=#CC0000><b>red X</b></font> for the old estimated position). The explanation is that the boat never received the orders from BdU to change its operational area to Gibraltar and thus stayed in its North American area after passing through the Straits of Denmark. According to this the boat was lost in February 1945.</p><div class="content_box_fates"><p align="left"><strong>Previously recorded fate</strong></p><ul><li>Lost around 17 Feb 1945 in the North Atlantic south-west of New York to unknown causes, possibly its own homing torpedo. 56 dead (all hands lost). <em>(Dr. Axel Niestl茅, January 1994)</em></li><li>Sunk 28 Feb, 1945 in the mid-Atlantic near Rabat, in position 34.30N, 08.13W, by depth charges from the US destroyer escort <a href=/allies/warships/ship/1379.html><b>USS Fowler (DE 222)</b></a> and the French submarine chaser <b>L'Indiscret</b>. <em>(Postwar assessment)</em><br><strong>Notes</strong>. This attack was probably not against a submarine. </li></ul> </div><h3>This boat is a dive site</h3><p>A German U-boat was found off the coast of New Jersey, USA on 2 Sept, 1991 by several divers. On 31 August, 1997 these same divers reported evidence that the boat they found is the U-869 (knife inscribed with a U-869 crew member's name, UZO torpedo aiming device, machinery-numbers from the engine room). This location is at 39.33N, 73.20W in about 230 feet (around 73m) of water. She is thus a very advanced dive site.</p> <p>This wreck is a German war grave and should be respected as such</p> </p>Depth: 240 feet (73 meters)<br>Position (lat, long): 39.33, -73.02</p><p>See more <a href="/fates/dive/"> U-boat dive sites</a>.</p> </p> <h3>Schnorchel-fitted U-boat</h3><p>This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in October 1944. </p><p>Read more about the <a href="/technical/schnorchel.htm">Schnorchel</a> and see list of <a href="/technical/schnorchel_fitted.htm">fitted boats</a>.</p> <div> <p><strong>Annoucements related to this boat</strong></p> <span style="padding-left: 16px"><a href="/announce.html?story=51">U-869's final fate discovered</a> (23 Jul 2005)<br/></span> <span style="padding-left: 16px"><a href="/announce.html?story=31">U-869 memorial dive</a> (5 Aug 2001)<br/></span> <span style="padding-left: 16px"><a href="/announce.html?story=4">U-Who confirmed as U-869?</a> (7 May 1998)<br/></span> <span style="padding-left: 16px"><a href="/announce.html?story=7">U-869 located of New Jersey?</a> (11 Nov 1997)<br/></span> </div> <h3>Men lost from U-boats</h3> <p>Unlike <a href="/men/men_lost.htm">many other U-boats</a>, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-869 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.</p> <h3>U-boat Emblems</h3> <p>We have 2 <strong>emblem</strong> entries for this boat. See the emblem page <a href="/special/emblems/u869.html">for this boat</a> or view emblems individually below.</p> <table><tr> <td class="width95"><a href="/special/emblems/emblem15.html"><img src="/media/boats/emblems/crew_36.gif" class="width80" alt="" /><br>The Olympic Rings - Crew 36</a></td> <td class="width95"><a href="/special/emblems/emblem834.html"><img src="/media/boats/emblems/emblem_missing.gif" class="width80" alt="" /><br>Coat of Arms</a></td> </tr></table><br> <div align="center"> <h3>Media links</h3> <table> <tr> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/2236"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/shadow_divers.gif" alt="" /> <br>Shadow Divers</a><br>Kurson, Robert</p></td> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/1557"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/last_dive.jpg" alt="" /> <br>Last Dive</a><br>Chowdhury, Bernie</p></td> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/270"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/u-boat_operations2.jpg" alt="" /> <br>U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2</a><br>Wynn, Kenneth</p></td> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/538"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/hitlers_uboat_war2.jpg" alt="" /> <br>Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II</a><br>Blair, Clay</p></td> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/525"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/german_u-boat_losses.jpg" alt="" /> <br>German U-Boat Losses During World War II</a><br>Niestle, Axel</p></td> <td class="width140"><p><a href="/books/item/486"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/dive_into_history_3.jpg" alt="" /> <br>Dive into History</a><br>Keatts, Henry C. and Farr, George C.</p></td></tr> </table> </div> <br><br>  <p class='center'><br/>As an Amazon Associate uboat.net earns a commission from qualifying purchases.</p> <div class="adSeperator"></div> <div id="ga_contentFooter728" align="center"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1101670507446460" data-ad-slot="7580936821"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div><br> </div>  <div id="footer"> <div id="footer_navcontainer"> <ul id="footer_navlist"> <li><a href="/" title="Front page">Front page</a></li> <li><a href="/about/" title="About uboat.net">About</a></li> <li><a href="/about/contact.htm" title="Contact us">Contact us</a></li> <li><a href="/special/faq.htm" title="Frequently Asked Questions">FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/glossary.htm" title="Glossary pages">Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="/new.htm" title="What's new at uboat.net">What's new</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="footer_copyright">  © 1995 - 2025 Guðmundur Helgason </div> </div>  </div>  </body></html>