German submarine U-608

Coordinates: 46°30′N 03°08′W / 46.500°N 3.133°W / 46.500; -3.133
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

History
Nazi Germany
NameU-608
Ordered22 May 1940
Builder
Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number584
Laid down27 March 1941
Launched11 December 1941
Commissioned5 February 1942
FateScuttled on 10 August 1944
General characteristics
Class and type
Type VIIC submarine
Displacement
Length
  • 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in)
    o/a
  • 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in)
    pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power
  • 2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels)
  • 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
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)
  • Crush depth
    : 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement
  • As U-441 : 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
  • As U-flak 1 : 67 officers & ratings
Armament
Service record[1]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 30 340
Commanders:
  • Kptlt.
     Rolf Struckmeier
  • 5 February 1942 – 12 January 1944
  • Oblt.z.S.
     Wolfgang Reisener
  • 21 January – 10 August 1944
Operations:
  • 9 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 20 August – 24 September 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 20 October – 9 December 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 20 January – 29 March 1943
  • 4th patrol:
  • 8 May – 18 July 1943
  • 5th patrol:
  • a. 23 – 25 September 1943
  • b. 2 October – 28 November 1943
  • 6th patrol:
  • 29 January – 3 April 1944
  • 7th patrol:
  • 6 – 14 June 1944
  • 8th patrol:
  • 22 – 23 July 1944
  • 9th patrol:
  • 7 – 10 August 1944
Victories:
  • 4 merchant ships sunk
    (35,539 GRT)
  • 1 warship sunk
    (291 tons)

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
.

She was scuttled in the

depth charges
.

Design

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 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]

Fate

She was scuttled in the

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

U-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

Date Ship Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[4]
12 September 1942 Hektoria  United Kingdom 13,797 Sunk
12 September 1942 Empire Moonbeam  United Kingdom 6,849 Sunk
16 November 1942 Irish Pine  Ireland 5,621 Sunk
8 February 1943 Daghild  Norway 9,272 Sunk
8 February 1943 HMS LCT-2335[Note 2]  Royal Navy 291 Sunk

References

Notes

  1. gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement
    .
  2. ^ Being carried by Daghild.

Citations

  1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
  3. ^ Busch & Röll 1999b, p. 273-4.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 August 2014.

Bibliography

External links

46°30′N 03°08′W / 46.500°N 3.133°W / 46.500; -3.133

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