M385
| Country | Germany |
| Ship Class | M-class Minesweeper |
| Builder | Elsflether Werft AG |
| Yard Number | 248 |
| Sunk | 15 Aug 1944 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseGerman minesweeper M385 was completed in May 1943. She was lost in Aug 1944.
Last Major Revision: Jun 2019
M385 Operational Timeline
| 15 Aug 1943 | Before dawn, German seaplane tender Richthofen, torpedo boat T24, minesweeper M275, minesweeper M385, and Sperrbrecher 157 were caught by British cruiser Mauritius, destroyer HMS Ursa, and destroyer Iroquois in the Bay of Biscay off Les Sables d'Olonne, France. T24 laid a smoke screen and fired torpedoes at Iroquois, but all of them missed. British ships fired, sinking Sperrbrecher 157, and damaging all other ships; M385 was forced to beach to prevent sinking. HMS Iroquois suffered light damage in the engagement. |
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Visitor Submitted Comments
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
Search WW2DB
News
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Detonation of a WW2-Era Naval Mine (21 Mar 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,136 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 43,320 timeline entries
- » 1,235 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 258 facilities
- » 469 book reviews
- » 28,325 photos
- » 430 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."Winston Churchill
Support Us
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!
Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!
30 Jul 2020 12:32:26 AM
On the night of 22/2 August 1944 the destroyers HMS Iroquois, Ursa and Mauritius of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla were on patrol between Les Sables and Ile d’Yeu. At 0117 Iroquois got a radar contact. They stood to and let an enemy convoy get well into the Bay of Biscay, At 0209 Iroquois led the other two destroyers in. At 4,000 yards they opened fire on four enemy vessels which instantly turned away and made smoke.
The German ships returned fire and were joined by a shore battery, but all their gunnery was inaccurate. Mauritius hit and blew up a medium-sized merchantman while Iroquois, and Ursa dealt with the others. A trawler and a merchant ship caught fire, one running aground and the other sinking. The 543-ton minesweeper M385 was damaged and also ran aground.
At 0249 the British warship turned away, leaving 150 stranded German survivors to be rounded up by the FFI on Pointe de Pennarch. At 0351 the three British destroyers repeated their performance and an hour later a further four enemy ships had been eliminated. Two had sunk, while the others had caught fire and collided, one capsizing and sinking and the last run aground. HMS Ursa now returned and boarded the Minesweeper which was aground off Audierne, removing eleven prisoners, charts and documents before destroying her with gunfire to prevent any salvaging. For the 10th DF it had been a highly successful night’s work.