German submarine U-764 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 1 February 1941 by Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven as yard number 147, launched on 13 March 1943 and commissioned on 6 May 1943 under Oberleutnant zur See Hanskurt von Bremen.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-764 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven |
| Yard number | 147 |
| Laid down | 1 February 1941 |
| Launched | 13 March 1943 |
| Commissioned | 6 May 1943 |
| Fate | Surrendered on 14 May 1945 at Loch Eriboll, Scotland. She was later sunk, as part of Operation Deadlight in position 56°06′N 09°00′W / 56.100°N 9.000°W, on 2 February 1946. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| 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 | 4officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 51 834 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
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Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-764 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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-764 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 two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
editThe boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 6 May 1943, followed by active service on 1 November 1943 as part of the 9th Flotilla in Brest, France. On 1 October 1944, she transferred to 11th Flotilla in Bergen, Norway; as the situation worsened in France following the invasion. She remained with 11th Flotilla until her surrender at the end of the war.
In eight patrols she sank one merchant ship, for a total of 638 gross register tons (GRT), and 2 warships (1,696 tons).
Wolfpacks
editU-764 took part in eight wolfpacks, namely:
- Eisenhart 3 (9 – 15 November 1943)
- Schill 3 (18 – 22 November 1943)
- Weddigen (22 – 29 November 1943)
- Hinein (26 January – 3 February 1944)
- Igel 1 (3 – 17 February 1944)
- Hai 1 (17 – 22 February 1944)
- Preussen (22 February – 13 March 1944)
- Dragoner (21 – 28 May 1944)
Fate
editU-764 surrendered on 14 May 1945 at Loch Eriboll, Scotland. She was sunk as a target in position 56°06′N 09°00′W / 56.100°N 9.000°W as part of Operation Deadlight on 2 February 1946.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 1944 | HMS Blackwood |  Royal Navy
|
1,085 | Sunk |
| 20 August 1944 | Coral |  United Kingdom
|
638 | Sunk |
| 25 August 1944 | HMS LCT-1074 | Royal Navy
|
611 | Sunk |
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-764". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-764". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
Bibliography
edit- 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.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-764". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 764". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 29 December 2014.