German submarine U-704

German submarine U-704 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-704
Ordered: 9 October 1939[1]
Builder: HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg
Yard number: 763
Laid down: 26 August 1940[1]
Launched: 28 August 1941[1]
Commissioned: 18 November 1941[1]
Status: Scuttled, 3 May 1945[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type VIIC submarine
Displacement:
  • 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
  • 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.74 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: 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament:
Service record
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Horst Kessler
  • 16 July 1941 – 7 June 1942
Operations: 5 patrols[1]
Victories: 1 ship sunk for a total of 6,942 gross register tons (GRT)[1]

Commissioned on 18 November 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Kessler, U-704 carried out training operations as part of the 8th U-boat Flotilla until June 1942.[1]

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-704 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 AEG GU 460/8–27 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-704 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]

Service history

U-704 set out on its first patrol, a transit to its operational base at Saint-Nazaire on 30 June 1942.[3] During this patrol, U-704 formed part of wolfpack "Wolf" which was to patrol between Iceland and Greenland, out of the range of allied air cover. On 26 July 1942, U-704 torpedoed the 6,942 GRT British freighter Empire Rainbow, part of convoy Convoy ON-113. Empire Rainbow had already been damaged by a torpedo from U-607, and U-704's torpedo sank the freighter.[3][4]

U-704 carried out a further four operational patrols under the command of Kessler from Saint Nazaire and La Pallice, sinking no further ships.[3] U-704 did fire four torpedoes at the troopship Queen Elizabeth on 9 November 1942, with Kessler claiming a hit, although Queen Elizabeth was undamaged.[5]

Fate

U-704 then served as a training submarine in the Baltic sea for the rest of the war, and was scuttled at Vegesack on 4 May 1945.[1][6]

Wolfpacks

U-704 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely.

  • Wolf (13–31 July 1942)
  • Pirat (31 July – 3 August 1942)
  • Steinbrinck (3–11 August 1942)
  • Panther (10–20 October 1942)
  • Veilchen (20 October – 7 November 1942)
  • Habicht (10–19 January 1943)
  • Haudegen (19 January – 9 February 1943)

Summary of raiding history
Date Ship Name Nationality Tonnage (GRT) Fate[7]
26 July 1942 Empire Rainbow  United Kingdom 6,942 Sunk

References
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-704". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  2. Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-704". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  4. Blair Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942 2000, p. 655.
  5. Blair Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945 2000, p. 107.
  6. Lenton 1975, p. 207.
  7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-704". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 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). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). 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. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
  • Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942–1945. New York: Modern Library. ISBN 0-679-64033-9.
  • Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 75, 83, 89. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Warships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Lenton, H.T. (1975). German Warships of the Second World War. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-04661-3.

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