German submarine U-759
History | |
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Name | U-759 |
Ordered | 9 October 1939 |
Builder | Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven |
Yard number | 142 |
Laid down | 15 November 1940 |
Launched | 30 May 1942 |
Commissioned | 15 August 1942 |
Fate | Sunk on 15 July 1943 |
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 | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[1][2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 46 926 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
2 merchant ships sunk (12,764 GRT) |
German submarine U-759 was a
Design
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).
Service history
After training with
First patrol
U-759 first sailed from Kiel on 2 February 1943, and out into the Atlantic, south of Greenland. She had no successes, and arrived at Lorient, France on 14 March after 41 days.[4]
Second patrol
U-759 left Lorient on 7 June 1943 and sailed across the Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea.[5] There on 5 July, about 70 nautical miles (130 km) west of Port-Salut, Haiti, she torpedoed the 3,513 GRT American merchant ship Maltran, part of Convoy GTMO-134. The ship sank in 15 minutes, but all 47 aboard escaped in lifeboats, and were picked up by USS SC-1279.[6]
Two days later, on 7 July, the U-boat torpedoed and sank the 9,251 GRT Dutch cargo ship Poelau Roebiah, in convoy TAG-70, east of Jamaica. All but two of the 68 crew, along with 24 armed guards and 31 US passengers abandoned ship in four lifeboats and were later rescued.[7] After sinking the Dutch ship the U-boat was pursued and attacked by the United States destroyer Tattnall (DD-125), but escaped.[1] The next day, 8 July, U-759 was spotted and attacked by a United States Navy scout aircraft. Allied surface ships attacked for seven hours, but the U-boat evaded them and escaped unharmed.[1]
Fate
U-759 was sunk on 15 July 1943 by depth charges from a US Navy
Wolfpacks
U-759 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
- Neptun (18 February – 3 March 1943)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[8] |
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5 July 1943 | Maltran | ![]() |
3,513 | Sunk |
7 July 1943 | Poelau Roebiah | ![]() |
9,251 | Sunk |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-759". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-759". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-759 from 2 February 1943 to 14 March 1943". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-759 from 7 June 1943 to 15 July 1943". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Maltran (Steam merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Poelau Roebiah (Motor merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-759". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). 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 (1999). 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.
- 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.
- Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-904687-96-2.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-759". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.