| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-778 |
| Ordered: | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder: | Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven |
| Yard number: | 161 |
| Laid down: | 3 July 1943 |
| Launched: | 6 May 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 7 July 1944 |
| Out of service: | 8 May 1945 |
| Fate: | Sank while under tow 4 December 1945. |
| 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: 11th U-boat flotilla |
| Commanders: | Oblt. Ralf Jürs |
| Operations: | 1 patrol - 4 March 1945 to 26 March 1945 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-778 was a German Type VIIC U-boat built in World War II. She only completed one combat patrol and sank no Allied ships. She was surrendered to the Allies at Bergen on the 8 May, 1945.[1]
On 4 December 1945, she was being towed offshore, to be scuttled as part of Operation Deadlight, but foundered and sank before reaching the scuttling ground, at a point , 16 miles (26 km) North East of Malin Head[1] in around 70 metres (230 ft) of water.
In 2007, Derry City Council announced plans to raise the boat to be the main exhibit of a new maritime museum[2]. Many of the other Operation Deadlight U-boats were used for target practice and sunk by gunfire, torpedoes, rockets or bombs. U-778, by contrast, is remarkably intact and lies in relatively shallow water. The wreck was first located by marine archaeologist Innes McCartney in 2001.[3]
On 3 October 2007, an Irish diver, Michael Hanrahan, died whilst filming the wreck as part of the salvage project[4]. In November 2009, a spokesman from the council's heritage museum service announced the salvage project had been cancelled for cost reasons.[5]