German submarine U-701 facts for kids

Survivors are rescued from U-701.
Quick facts for kids History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-701
Ordered	9 October 1939
Builder	HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg
Yard number	760
Laid down	13 May 1940
Launched	16 April 1941
Commissioned	16 July 1941
In service	16 July 1941 to 7 July 1942
Fate	Sunk by a USAAF Hudson on 7 July 1942 about 22 miles off Cape Hatteras. Seven survivors including the Captain were taken as prisoners of war.
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
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	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
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	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA gun
U-701 (submarine) shipwreck and remains
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Buxton, North Carolina
MPS	World War II Shipwrecks along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico MPS
NRHP reference No.	15000806
Added to NRHP	12 November 2015

German submarine U-701 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on 16 April 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen, with a crew of 43.

In three operational patrols U-701 sank five ships, of 25,390 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged four others for 37,093 GRT. She also sank four auxiliary warships and damaged a destroyer.

She was destroyed in an air attack on 7 July 1942 and rests at a depth of 115 feet (35 m) at 35°14.330′N 75°06.690′W / 35.238833°N 75.111500°W / 35.238833; -75.111500.

Fate

U-701 was destroyed on 7 July 1942 off Cape Hatteras. While running on the surface U-701 was attacked by a Hudson of 396 Sqdn USAAF. She was hit by two bombs and sunk. 17 of her crew were able to escape, but were adrift for two days before being found and rescued by the US Coast Guard. By that time just 7 men had survived.

Final resting place

Diving on the wreck of the U-701 in 2008.

At 115 feet (35 m) below the surface, U-701 is still intact, retaining its 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun. Majority of the debris lies within 100 metres (330 ft) radius of the wreck. This wreck has become an artificial reef that is heavily populated with Seriola dumerili.

The wreck of the U-701 was originally discovered by Uwe Lovas in the coastal waters off Cape Hatteras in 1989. The location of the wreck and the site remained a closely guarded secret and therefore undisturbed for 15 years. The U-701 represents a virtually intact, pristine wreck site and a unique opportunity to explore and experience an unspoiled U-boat within recreational diving depths on the East Coast of the United States.

Recently, the vessel’s location has been rediscovered and the coordinates have become accessible to the general public, who have already begun diving the site. An overwhelming majority of the local recreational and wreck diving community is deeply concerned about the potential for disturbance, damage and loss resulting from unauthorized salvage. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

A dive to the wreck in 2011 was documented in the National Geographic TV documentary, Hitler's Secret Attack on America (2013).

Wolfpacks

U-701 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.

• Zieten (6–22 January 1942)
• Westwall (2–12 March 1942)
• York (12–26 March 1942)

Summary of raiding history

Faroe postage stamp showing the trawler Nýggjaberg, which was sunk by U-701 on 28 March 1942

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
6 January 1942	Baron Erskine	United Kingdom	3,657	Sunk
6 March 1942	Rononia	United Kingdom	213	Sunk
7 March 1942	Nyggjaberg	Faeroes	349	Sunk
9 March 1942	HMS Notts County	Royal Navy	541	Sunk
11 March 1942	HMS Stella Capella	Royal Navy	507	Sunk
15 June 1942	HMS Kingston Ceylonite	Royal Navy	448	Sunk (mine)
15 June 1942	USS Bainbridge	United States Navy	1,190	Damaged (mine)
15 June 1942	Robert C. Tuttle	United States	11,615	Damaged (mine)
15 June 1942	Esso Augusta	United States	11,237	Damaged (mine)
17 June 1942	Santore	United States	7,117	Sunk (mine)
19 June 1942	USS YP-389	United States Navy	170	Sunk
26 June 1942	Tamesis	Norway	7,256	Damaged
27 June 1942	British Freedom	United Kingdom	6,985	Damaged
28 June 1942	William Rockefeller	United States	14,054	Sunk
Total tonnage sunk =			27,056