German submarine U-705
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-705 |
| Ordered: | 9 October 1939[1] |
| Builder: | HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | 11 October 1940[1] |
| Launched: | 13 October 1941[1] |
| Commissioned: | 30 December 1941[1] |
| Status: | Sunk, September 1942[1] |
| 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 F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × GL RP 137/c electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296 |
| Speed: |
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Range: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Commanders |
Kptlt. Karl-Horst Horn 30 Dec 1941 - 3 Sep 1942 |
| Operations | 1 patrol[1] |
| Victories | 1 ship sunk |
German submarine U-705 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Commissioned on 30 December 1941, she served with the 5th U-Boat Flotilla until 31 July as a training boat, and as a front boat of 66th Flotilla under the command of Kapitänleutnant Karl-Horst Horn, until her sinking on 3 September 1942.
Patrol History
Departing on her first and only patrol on 1 August 1942, U-705 left Kiel to encircle the British isles and turn back after crossing more than half of the Atlantic. On 15 August while driving some 550 miles south-east of Iceland, she caught sight of a number of vessels; Convoy SC 95, and the merchant ship Balladier.
Diving after first being seen, she would stay submerged for nearly four hours before firing a torpedo at the starboard side of the Balladier. Listing to the starboard side, the armed guards were unable to return fire on U-705, with the ship sinking after seven minutes.[2]
On 24 August, the Norwegian corvette HNoMS Potentilla and the HMS Viscount of convoy ON 122 located U-705. Dropping five depth charges from the Viscount, along with a further ten from the Potentilla, the two were unable to cause damage to the boat. A further fifty-seven charges would be dropped at her and U-135, finally damaging her stern torpedo tube.
On 3 September, Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys of No. 77 Squadron RAF dropped depth charges at U-705, causing her to sink with all hands lost in the Bay of Biscay.[3]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "The Type VIIC boat U-705 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ↑ "Balladier article". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
- ↑ Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942. Random House. p. 662&663. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
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