German submarine U-997
 U-995 Type VIIC/41 at the Laboe Naval Memorial. This U-boat is almost identical to U-997. | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-997 |
| Ordered: | 14 October 1941 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss AG, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 197 |
| Laid down: | 7 December 1942 |
| Launched: | 18 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 23 September 1943 |
| Fate: | Surrendered on 9 May 1945 at Narvik, Norway |
| General characteristics (VIIC/41)[1] | |
| Class and type: | German Type VIIC/41 submarine  (?) |
| Type: | Type VIIC/41 submarine |
| Displacement: | 759 tonnes (747 long tons) surfaced 860 t (846 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 67.23 m (220 ft 7 in) o/a 50.9 m (167 ft 0 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.85 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 5 m (16 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder, 4-stroke F46 diesels totalling 2,800–3,200 hp (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 (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) Calculated 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 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (Training) 23 September 1943 – 30 April 1944 9th U-boat Flotilla 1 – 31 May 1944 13th U-boat Flotilla 1 June 1944 – 1 March 1945 14th U-boat Flotilla 1 March – 8 May 1945 |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Hans Lehmann[2] 23 September 1943 - 9 May 1945 |
| Operations: | 7 patrols |
| Victories: |
1 merchant ship sunk (1,603 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (4,287 GRT) 1 warship sunk (105 tons) |
German submarine U-997 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 7 December 1942 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 197, launched on 18 August 1943 and commissioned on 23 September 1943 under Oberleutnant zur See Hans Lehmann.
Service history
The boat's service career began on 23 September 1943 with the 5th Training Flotilla, followed by 12 months active service, with a succession of three flotillas, namely 9th Flotilla on 1 May 1944, then 13th Flotilla on 1 June 1944, and finally with 14th Flotilla on 1 March 1945.
Wolf packs
U-997 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely
- Grimm (31 May – 6 June 1944)
- Trutz (17 August – 1 September 1944)
- Grimm (13 September – 1 October 1944)
- Regenschirm (14–16 October 1944)
- Panther (16 October – 8 November 1944)
- Stier (21 November – 25 December 1944)
- Hagen (15–21 March 1945)
Fate
U-997 was sunk by aircraft on 13 December 1945 in the North Atlantic, in position 55°50′N 10°05′W / 55.833°N 10.083°WCoordinates: 55°50′N 10°05′W / 55.833°N 10.083°W, as part of Operation Deadlight.
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 December 1944 | BO-229 |  Soviet Navy |
105 | Sunk |
| 22 April 1945 | Idefjord |  Norway |
4,287 | Damaged |
| 22 April 1945 | Onega |  Soviet Union |
1,603 | Sunk |
References
- Notes
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type VIIC/41". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hans Lehmann (Knight’s Cross)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
See also
- Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)