| German submarine U-771 | |
|---|---|
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
| Name: | U-771 |
| Ordered: | 21 November 1940[1] |
| Builder: | Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven[1] |
| Laid down: | 21 August 1942[1] |
| Launched: | 26 September 1943[1] |
| Commissioned: | 18 November 1943[1] |
| Fate: | Sunk in the Arctic Ocean by torpedoes from the British submarine HMS Venturer on 11 November 1944. All hands lost.[2] |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| Type: | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement: |
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
| Length: |
67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: |
6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296 |
| Speed: |
17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged |
| Range: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
• 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) • 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
31st U-boat Flotilla (18 November 1943–31 May 1944) 9th U-boat Flotilla (1 June 1944–31 July 1944) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 August 1944–30 September 1944) 13th U-boat Flotilla (1 October 1944–11 November 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Oberleutnant Helmut Block (18 November 1943–11 November 1944) |
| Victories: | 1 Allied Aircraft shot down. |
German submarine U-771 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered on 21 November 1940, and was laid down on 21 August 1942 at Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven, as 'werk 154'. She was launched on 26 September 1943 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant Helmut Block on 18 November of that year.[2][3]
Service record[]
U-771 had a comparatively brief service career. While she was commissioned on 18 November 1943, she was not assigned to any war flotillas until 1 June 1944. She was in action for less than a year before being sunk on 11 November 1944, after only two patrols at sea.[2]
First patrol[]
Following training exercises with the 31st U-boat Flotilla from 18 November 1943, to 31 May 1944, U-771 was assigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla on 1 June 1944, and was given the position as the lead boat in the flotilla.[2] The next day, U-771 left the port city of Hatvik for Bergen, occupied Norway. On 21 June 1944, U-771 began her first war patrol,[4] leaving the port city of Stavanger (at which she had arrived from Bergen the day before). For a period of 25 days, U-771 roamed the North Sea in search of Allied convoys. While she never made contact with any enemy vessels, on 26 June 1944, a British Consolidated Liberator aircraft coded 'N' from No. 86 Squadron RAF engaged U-771 and U-317 just north of the British Isles.[5] U-317 was sunk during the action, but flak from U-771 damaged the Liberator and forced it back to base, where it was judged damaged beyond repair. U-771 continued her patrol. This was the only time during the war that U-771 had any contact with the enemy prior to her sinking.[6] On 15 July, U-771 returned to her U-boat base at Bergen.[7]
Second patrol[]
U-771 spent the next three months travelling to various Norwegian ports, including Trondheim, Kristiansand, Bergen, Bogenbucht, and Hammerfest.[4] During this time, U-771 was re-assigned to the 11th U-boat Flotilla on 1 August 1944; she remained a part of that flotilla until 30 September, when she was again re-assigned, this time to the 13th U-boat Flotilla.[2] On 14 October 1944, U-771 finally left Hammerfest and headed into the Arctic Ocean. Twenty-nine days after she left Hammerfest, on 11 November 1944, U-771 was sunk in the Andfjord near Harstad, Norway, by torpedoes fired by the British submarine HMS Venturer. All 51 of her crewmembers were killed.[8]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "U-771 Type VIIC". ubootwaffe.net. http://ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=771. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-771". U-Boat War in World War II. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u771.htm. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type VIIC". U-Boat War in World War II. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/types/viic.htm. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrols by U-771". U-Boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u771.html. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-boat successes against aircraft". U-Boat War in World War II. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/history/aircraft_losses.htm. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ↑ Preisler, Jerome (2012), Page 99
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-771 (First patrol)". U-Boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_2447.html. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-771 (Second patrol)". U-Boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_2454.html. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
Sources[]
- Preisler, Jerome; Kenneth Sewell (2012). Code Name Caesar: The Secret Hunt for U-Boat 864 During World War II. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-425-245255.
Further reading[]
- Williamson, Gordon; Ian Palmer (2002). Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45: Vol 2. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-364-0.
See also[]
The original article can be found at German submarine U-771 and the edit history here.