German submarine U-978
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-978 |
Ordered | 5 June 1941 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number | 178 |
Laid down | 24 July 1942 |
Launched | 1 April 1943 |
Commissioned | 12 May 1943 |
Fate | Surrendered on 9 May 1945; sunk as part of Operation Deadlight on 11 December 1945 |
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 | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 51 997 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
1 merchant ship total loss (7,176 GRT) |
German submarine U-978 was a
. She completed the longest underwater patrol of World War II.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
U-978 was commissioned on 12 May 1943 and assigned to 5th U-boat Flotilla for crew training. On 1 August 1944, U-978 was assigned to 3rd U-boat Flotilla for operational service, and completed one patrol with that unit. On 4 September 1944 she was ordered to 11th U-boat Flotilla, beginning service on 5 September. During her second war patrol, U-978 completed the longest underwater Schnorchel patrol of World War II, lasting 68 days, under command of Guenther Pulst.[3] The record-breaking patrol began on 9 October 1944 when she left Bergen, Norway and ended on 16 December when she returned to Bergen from her patrol. This was two days longer than the famed underwater journey of U-977 to Argentina, shortly after Germany's surrender. During her two patrols U-978, did not sink any ships, but damaged one ship beyond repair, which measured 7,176 GRT.
Fate
U-978 survived the war as did her whole crew, and was surrendered at Trondheim on 9 May 1945. She was sunk on 11 December 1945 during Operation Deadlight by torpedoes at location 55°50′N 10°05′W / 55.833°N 10.083°W.
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage ( GRT )
|
Fate[4] |
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23 November 1944 | William D. Burnham | United States | 7,176 | Total loss |
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Günther Pulst (Knight's Cross)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Bishop, p.116.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-978". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 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, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Bishop, C. Kriegsmarine U-Boats 1939 –45. Amber Books, 2006.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-978". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.