German submarine U-608 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. During the Battle of the Atlantic, she was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Rolf Struckmeier as a unit of Wolfpack Vorwärts.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-608 |
| Ordered | 22 May 1940 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 584 |
| Laid down | 27 March 1941 |
| Launched | 11 December 1941 |
| Commissioned | 5 February 1942 |
| Fate | Scuttled on 10 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth |
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| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 30 340 |
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
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She was scuttled in the Bay of Biscay on 10 August 1944 after being attacked by a RAF Liberator aircraft with depth charges.
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-608 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-608 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Fate
editShe was scuttled in the Bay of Biscay on 10 August 1944 after being attacked by a RAF Liberator aircraft with depth charges. The damaged boat surfaced unnoticed and was scuttled by her crew, which was rescued by HMS Wren six hours later suffering no losses.[3]
Wolfpacks
editU-608 took part in 19 wolfpacks, namely:
- Stier (29 August – 2 September 1942)
- Vorwärts (2 – 15 September 1942)
- Pfeil (1 – 9 February 1943)
- Neptun (18 February – 3 March 1943)
- Neuland (8 – 13 March 1943)
- Dränger (14 – 20 March 1943)
- Trutz (1 – 16 June 1943)
- Trutz 1 (16 – 29 June 1943)
- Geier 1 (30 June – 15 July 1943)
- Schlieffen (14 – 22 October 1943)
- Siegfried (22 – 27 October 1943)
- Siegfried 1 (27 – 30 October 1943)
- Jahn (31 October – 2 November 1943)
- Tirpitz 2 (2 – 8 November 1943)
- Eisenhart 7 (9 – 11 November 1943)
- Schill 2 (17 – 22 November 1943)
- Igel 2 (9 – 17 February 1944)
- Hai 1 (17 – 22 February 1944)
- Preussen (22 February – 14 March 1944)
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 1942 | Hektoria | 13,797 | Sunk | |
| 12 September 1942 | Empire Moonbeam | 6,849 | Sunk | |
| 16 November 1942 | Irish Pine | 5,621 | Sunk | |
| 8 February 1943 | Daghild | 9,272 | Sunk | |
| 8 February 1943 | HMS LCT-2335[Note 2] | 291 | Sunk |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
- ^ Being carried by Daghild.
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Busch & Röll 1999b, p. 273-4.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45. London: Amber Books. ISBN 1904687962.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999a). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999b). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 105, 107, 108, 148. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- U-608 at wrecksite.eu