German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-744" was a type VIIC U-boat, launched on 11 March 1943, commanded by "Oberleutnant zur See" Heinz Blischke.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-744" 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 AEG GU 460/8–27 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-744" 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.
She had two patrols, one from 2 December 1943 until 15 January 1944 and 24 February 1944 until 6 March 1944. She sank two ships in total, on 3 January 1944, and the landing ship tank HMS "LST-362" on 2 March 1944.
"U-744" was forced to surface on 6 March 1944, after a 31-hour pursuit by British and Canadian ships. She was depth-charged by , causing her crew to abandon her. They were picked up by the corvette , the Canadian frigate , corvettes and and destroyers HMCS "Chaudiere" and in the North Atlantic. "U-744" was then boarded by Allied sailors, who retrieved code books and other documents. Most of this was lost while being transferred between the U-Boat and the Allied ships. After attempts to tow the submarine into port failed, "U-744" was scuttled by the allied warships.
Wolfpacks.
"U-744" took part in five wolfpacks, namely:
References.
Notes.
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Citations.
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