| Career (Nazi Germany) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-701 |
| Builder: | HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | May 13, 1940 |
| Launched: | April 16, 1941 |
| Commissioned: | July 16, 1941 |
| In service: | July 16, 1941 to July 7, 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a USAAF Hudson on July 7, 1942 about 22 miles off Cape Hatteras. Seven survivors including the Captain were taken as prisoners of war. |
| 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 |
German submarine U-701 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on April 16, 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen, with a crew of 43.
In three operational patrols U-701 sank 5 ships, of 25,390 GRT and damaged 4 others for 37,093 GRT. She also sank 4 auxiliary warships and damaged a destroyer. She was destroyed in an air attack on 7 July 1942.
Contents |
U-701 was destroyed on 7 July 1942 off Cape Hatteras. While running on the surface U-701 was attacked by a Hudson of 396 Sqdn USAAF. She was hit by two bombs and sunk. 17 of her crew were able to escape, but were adrift for two days before being found and rescued by the US Coast Guard. By that time just 7 men had survived.
At 115 feet below the surface, U-701 is still intact, retaining its 88mm deck gun. Because of the limited exposure of the wreck, there are not large quantities of marine life on the wreck; the bottom fish seem to be predominately tautog and black sea bass - all more indicative of the cooler waters north of Diamond Shoals.
The wreck of the U-701 was originally discovered by a small group of divers in the coastal waters off Cape Hatteras in 1989. The location of the wreck and the site remained a closely guarded secret and therefore undisturbed for the past 15 years. The U-701 represents a virtually intact, pristine wreck site and a unique opportunity to explore and experience an unspoiled U-boat within recreational diving depths on the East Coast of the United States.
Recently, the vessel’s location has been rediscovered and the coordinates have become accessible to the general public, who have already begun diving the site. An overwhelming majority of the local recreational and wreck diving community is deeply concerned about the potential for disturbance, damage and loss resulting from unauthorized salvage.