German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-7" was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine", based out of Kiel during World War II. It was one of the smaller versions, and was first launched on 29 June 1935 with a crew of 29. Its first commander was Kurt Freiwald. "U-7" would have 16 commanders over the course of its service, the last being Günther Loeschcke.
During the war "U-7" was responsible for sinking two vessels.
On 18 February 1944, west of Pillau, "U-7" sank in what is believed to have been a malfunction during a diving manoeuvre. There were no survivors.
Design.
German Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. "U-7" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was , however. The U-boat 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 MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 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-7" was fitted with three torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of twentyfive.
Service history.
"U-7" was ordered on 20 July 1934, i.e. in violation of the Versailles Treaty, which denied Germany possession of submarines. The U-boat was not laid down until 11 March 1935, and launched on 29 June 1935, within weeks of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which granted Germany parity with the British Empire in submarines.
Commissioned on 18 July 1935 with "Kapitänleutnant" Kurt Freiwald in command, "U-7" mainly served as a training boat except for two brief deployments during the Invasion of Poland in 1939 and Operation Weserübung in 1940.
On 18 February 1944, west of Pillau, "U-7" sank in what is believed to have been a malfunction during a diving manoeuvre. There were no survivors.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;
Bibliography.
 ;templatestyles src="Refbegin/styles.css" / ;