German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-763" was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" for service during World War II.
She was laid down on 21 January 1941 by Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven as yard number 146, launched on 16 January 1943 and commissioned on 13 March 1943 under "Oberleutnant zur See" Ernst Cordes. On 1 November 1944, "Oberleutnant zur See" Karl-Heinz Schröter took over command as part of her transfer to 24th Flotilla..
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-763" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer &amp; Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-763" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history.
The boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 13 March 1943, followed by active service on 1 November 1943 as part of the 3rd Flotilla. When the situation deteriorated for the Germans in France, on 1 October 1944, following the invasion, she transferred to 33rd Flotilla in Flensburg, but stayed only one month. On 1 November 1944 she transferred to 24th Flotilla for training.
In four patrols she sunk one merchant ship, for a total of  gross register tons (GRT).
4/5 February 1944.
On 4 February 1944, "U-763" shot down a RAF Liberator bomber of 53 Squadron in the Bay of Biscay.
On the following day, she successfully warded off three separate air attacks by the RAF, resulting in damage to a Liberator of 53 Squadron, a Wellington bomber of 172 Squadron and the loss of a Halifax bomber from 502 Squadron
Wolfpacks.
"U-763" took part in one wolfpack, namely:
Fate.
"U-763" was scuttled on 29 January 1945 in the Schichau-Werke shipyard, Königsberg in position after being damaged in a Soviet air raid.
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