Unterseeboot 978

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Unterseeboot 978
Country	German
Branch	Kriegsmarine
Type	Type VIIC
Shipyard	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Laid down	24 July 1942
Commissioned	12 May 1943
Career
Flotillas	5. Unterseebootsflottille 3. Unterseebootsflottille 11.Unterseebootsflottille
Commanders	Günther Pulst
Successes
1 ship damaged ; 7,176 GRT
Fate
sunk on 11 December 1945 during Operation Deadlight.

Unterseeboot 978 or U-978 was a World War II German Type VIIC submarine operated by the Kriegsmarine. U-978 holds the distiniction of having completed the longest underwater patrol of World War II.

U-978 was commissioned on 12 May 1943 and assigned to 5. Unterseebootsflottille (German submarine flotilla) for crew training. On 1 August 1944, U-978 was assigned to 3. Unterseebootsflottille for operational service, U-978 completed one patrol with 3. Unterseebootsflottille, on 4 September 1944 she was ordered to 11. Unterseebootsflottille. On 5 September U-978 began service with 11. Unterseebootsflottille, during her second war patrol, U-978 completed the longest underwater Schnorchel patrol of World War II, lasting 68-Days^[1]. The record-breaking patrol began on 9 October 1944 when U-978 left Bergen, Norway and ended on 16 December when she returned back to Bergen from her patrol. Note that the famed underwater patrol of U-977, during her surrender to Argentina, was not the longest, as sometimes stated, it lasted 66-days. During her two patrols U-978, did not sink any ships, but damaged one ship beyond repair, which totalled 7,176 Gross Registered Tonnage or GRT. U-978 survived the war as did her whole crew, U-978 was sunk on 11 December 1945 during Operation Deadlight by torpedos at location 550°50′N, 10°05′W.