| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-718 |
| Ordered: | 10 April 1941 |
| Builder: | HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | 18 May 1942 |
| Launched: | 26 March 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 25 June 1943 |
| Fate: | Accidentally rammed and sunk by U-476, 18 November 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| 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: | Kriegsmarine: 55th U-Boat Flotilla |
| Commanders: | Oblt. Helmut Wieduwilt (Jun–Nov 1943) |
| Operations: | None |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-718 was a short-lived Type VIIC U-boat built by the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. U-718 was the victim of a tragic accident during training exercises five months after completion, and thus never saw active service in the Kriegsmarine. Built at Hamburg during 1942 and 1943 and taking a year to complete, U-718 was a Type VIIC submarine and was intended for service in the Battle of the Atlantic.
On the 18 November 1943, U-718 was conducting training as part of a "wolfpack" near Bornholm in the Baltic Sea under Oblt. Helmut Wieduwilt, when she was accidentally rammed by U-476. The submarines had been maneuvering to attack the same target in the dark, and U-476 ran aboard U-718 whilst the submarines were running on the surface. U-718's hatch was closed to prevent water entering the hull, and thus only the seven personnel in the conning tower, including Kptlt. Wieduwilt, survived. The boat's hull was ruptured by the force of the impact, causing the submarine to fill and sink very rapidly, taking 43 sailors to the bottom with her. The survivors were rescued from the water by other German naval units and transferred to other boats.