German submarine U-76 (1940)

Coordinates: 58°35′N 20°20′W / 58.583°N 20.333°W / 58.583; -20.333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-76.
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-76
Ordered2 June 1938[1]
Builder
Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack
Yard number4
Laid down28 December 1939[1]
Launched3 October 1940[1][2]
Commissioned9 December 1940[1][2]
FateSunk, 5 April 1941 by British warships HMS Wolverine and Scarborough; 1 dead, 42 rescued[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and type
Type VIIB U-boat
Displacement
  • 753 t (741 long tons) surfaced
  • 857 t (843 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 66.50 
    o/a
  • 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
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
  • 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) surfaced
  • 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
Range
  • 8,700 nmi (16,100 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 90 nmi (170 km; 100 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)
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 inflatable rubber boat
Complement4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 27 140
Commanders:
  • Kptlt.
     Friedrich von Hippel
  • 3 December 1940 – 5 April 1941
Operations:
  • 1 patrol:
  • 28 March – 5 April 1941
Victories: 2 merchant ships sunk
(7,290 GRT)

German submarine U-76 was a

Type VIIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She played a minor role in the Battle of the Atlantic, but was destroyed south of Iceland
.

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).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).

anti-aircraft gun The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]

Service history

She was laid down at Bremer Vulkan in Bremen on 28 December 1939 as yard number 4. She was launched on 3 October 1940 and commissioned on 9 December.

U-76 was available for service from March 1941 following the completion of her working-up period and sea trials. Her commander, Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Friedrich von Hippel, had previously served in U-144 during her trials until November the previous year.

War patrol

Six days into her first and only patrol on 2 April, U-76 sank the Finnish steam merchant ship SS Daphne which was on her way to Lillehammer, Norway. All twenty-two crew members were killed in the attack.[4][5]

The next day, U-76 followed the mostly British convoy SC 26 travelling from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Liverpool. The U-boat fired a torpedo at the British merchantman SS Athenic, disabling the vessel. The 40 people aboard were rescued by HMS Arbutus.[5]

The attack attracted the attention of the armed escort vessels, who pinpointed her position. Deploying depth charges from HMS Wolverine and Scarborough, U-76 was sunk. Forty-two of her forty-three-man crew survived and were captured.

Summary of raiding history

Date Ship Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[6]
3 April 1941 Daphne  Finland 1,939 Sunk
4 April 1941 Athenic  United Kingdom 5,351 Sunk

References

Notes

  1. gross register tons
    .

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIB boat U-76". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Kemp 1997, pp. 69–70
  3. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–44.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "SS Daphne". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  5. ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols of U-76". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-76". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.

Bibliography

External links

58°35′N 20°20′W / 58.583°N 20.333°W / 58.583; -20.333

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