History | |
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Name | U-706 |
Ordered | 9 October 1939 |
Builder | H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg |
Yard number | 766 |
Laid down | 22 November 1940 |
Launched | 24 November 1941 |
Commissioned | 16 March 1942 |
Fate | Sunk on 2 August 1943 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Speed |
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Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 43 347 |
Commanders: | |
Operations: |
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Victories: |
3 merchant ships sunk (18,650 GRT) |
German submarine U-706, a type VIIC U-boat, was laid down on 22 November 1940. She was launched on 24 November 1941 and commissioned on 16 March 1942.
Design
[edit]German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-706 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[1] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[1]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-706 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[1]
Service history
[edit]U-706 was commanded by Korvettenkapitän Alexander von Zitzewitz. She was attached to the 5th Flotilla from 16 March until 30 September 1942. On 1 October 1942, she was transferred to the 3rd Flotilla and made five patrols during the war, sinking three ships with a total tonnage of 18,650 GRT. On 2 August 1943, while in Bay of Biscay, she was disabled by depth charges from a Canadian Hampden aircraft, then finished off by a US Liberator aircraft from A/S Sqdn. 4. She sank at position 46°15′N 10°25′W / 46.250°N 10.417°W.
Wolfpacks
[edit]U-706 took part in ten wolfpacks, namely:
- Luchs (1 – 6 October 1942)
- Panther (6 – 20 October 1942)
- Südwärts (24 – 26 October 1942)
- Falke (28 December 1942 – 4 January 1943)
- Jaguar (18 – 31 January 1943)
- Seeteufel (23 – 30 March 1943)
- Löwenherz (1 – 10 April 1943)
- Lerche (10 – 16 April 1943)
- Meise (16 – 22 April 1943)
- Specht (22 April – 4 May 1943)
Summary of raiding history
[edit]Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[2] |
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12 October 1942 | Stornest | ![]() |
4,265 | Sunk |
5 April 1943 | British Ardour | ![]() |
7,124 | Sunk |
12 April 1943 | Fresno City | ![]() |
7,261 | Sunk |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-706". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
Bibliography
[edit]- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
[edit]- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-706". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.