 She was launched on 15 April 1942, and commissioned on 25 June under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Werner Pietzsch.After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea, the U-boat was transferred to the 10th flotilla for front-line service on 1 February 1943.German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs.