German submarine U-598
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany |
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| Name: | U-598 |
| Ordered: | 16 January 1940 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 574 |
| Laid down: | 11 January 1941 |
| Launched: | 2 October 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 27 November 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk by US aircraft, July 1943[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Type VIIC submarine |
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| Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
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| Complement: | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Service record[2] | |
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| Victories: | Sank two ships, total 9,295 GRT; damaged one ship - 6,197 GRT |
German submarine U-598 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out four patrols, was part of four wolfpacks and sank two ships; she also damaged one other.
The boat was sunk by depth charges from two US aircraft, off the Brazilian coast in July 1943.
Contents
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-598 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] 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 Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 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).[3]
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).[3] 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-598 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 an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 11 January 1941 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 574, launched on 2 October 1941 and commissioned on 27 November under the command of Korvettenkapitän Gottfried Holtorf.
She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 27 November 1941 for training and the 6th flotilla for operations from 1 July 1942 until her loss.
1st patrol
U-598's first patrol began from Kiel on 7 July 1942. She headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands. One man drowned while carrying out maintenance on hydroplanes and propellers in mid-Atlantic on 5 August.
She damaged the Standella, sank the Michael Jebsen and the Empire Corporal, all on 14 August northwest of Barlovento Point, Cuba. The Empire Corporal had, as the British Corporal, been damaged by a torpedo and bombs in the English Channel in 1940. She had been repaired and returned to service in 1942.
The boat arrived at St. Nazaire, in occupied France on the 13 September.
2nd and 3rd patrols
U-598's second sortie was to the south of Greenland; it was relatively uneventful.
Her third foray also started and finished in St. Nazaire between March and May 1943.
4th patrol and loss
The boat departed St. Nazaire for the last time on 26 June 1943. On 23 July she was sunk by depth charges dropped by two US Liberators near Natal (on the Brazilian coast) at position Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..
Forty-three men died with U-598; there were two survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-598 took part in four wolfpacks, namely.
- Jaguar (18–31 January 1943)
- Stürmer (11–20 March 1943)
- Seeteufel (23–30 March 1943)
- Meise (11–27 April 1943)
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 August 1943 | Empire Corporal |  United Kingdom |
6,972 | Sunk |
| 14 August 1943 | Michael Jebson | United Kingdom |
2,323 | Sunk |
| 14 August 1943 | Standella | United Kingdom |
6,197 | Damaged |
References
Bibliography
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External links
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Use dmy dates from October 2012
- Use British English from October 2012
- German Type VIIC submarines
- U-boats commissioned in 1941
- U-boats sunk in 1943
- U-boats sunk by US aircraft
- U-boats sunk by depth charges
- 1941 ships
- Ships built in Hamburg
- World War II submarines of Germany
- World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
- World War II shipwrecks in the South Atlantic
- Maritime incidents in July 1943
