History | |
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Name | U-758 |
Ordered | 9 October 1939[1] |
Builder | Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven |
Yard number | 141 |
Laid down | 18 May 1940[1] |
Launched | 1 March 1942[1] |
Commissioned | 5 May 1942[1] |
Decommissioned | 16 March 1945[1] |
Fate | Broken up in 1946 or 1947[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIICsubmarine |
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 47 033 |
Commanders: | |
Operations: |
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Victories: | 2 merchant ships sunk (13,989 GRT)[1] |
German submarineU-758 was aType VIICU-boat built forNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine for service duringWorld War II.Commissioned on 5 May 1942, she served with the6th U-boat Flotilla until 1 November as a training boat, and as a front boat until 14 October 1944 mostly under the command ofKapitänleutnant Helmut Manseck before joining the33rd U-boat Flotilla as a training boat for the remainder of her service in the war.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-758 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), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoGarbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/cdouble-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-758 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Built at theKriegsmarinewerft shipyard inWilhelmshaven,U-758 served on seven patrols with the6th U-boat Flotilla.
The submarine's first patrol of 41 days between 14 November until 24 December 1942 from Kiel to St. Nazaire was uneventful.
Her second patrol from 14 February until 30 March 1943 was not. Midway across the Atlantic Ocean on 17 March,U-758 joinedWolfpackRaubgraf and attackedconvoy HX 229 which was eastbound, delivering goods from the United States to the United Kingdom.U-758 destroyed two ships from the 37-ship convoy: The Dutch shipZaanland (6,813 GRT) and the USLiberty ShipJames Oglethorpe (7,176 GRT). Torpedoes fired at the Dutch motor tankerMagdala missed their mark.
U-758 undertook five more combat patrols but did not sink or damage any further ships.
U-758 took part in nine wolfpacks, namely:
The veteran submarine was caught in the open during a British raid on the port ofKiel. Badly damaged on 11 March 1945, she was stricken from the navy list on 16 March 1945. At the cessation of hostilities, she was surrendered to the Allies in May 1945. Deemed too badly damaged to be sunk as part ofOperation Deadlight, she was insteadbroken up for scrap beginning in 1946 or 1947.
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[3] |
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17 March 1943 | Zaanland | ![]() | 6,813 | Sunk |
17 March 1943 | James Oglethorpe | ![]() | 7,176 | Sunk |