German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-597" was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II.
She was a member of eight wolfpacks, carried out two patrols but sank no ships.
She was sunk southwest of Iceland by a British aircraft on 12 October 1942.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-597" 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 Brown, Boveri &amp; Cie GG UB 720/8 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-597" 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 a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history.
The submarine was laid down on 13 January 1941 at Blohm &amp; Voss, Hamburg as yard number 573, launched on 1 October and commissioned on 20 November under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Eberhard Bopst.
She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 20 November 1941 for training and the 1st flotilla from 1 July 1942 for operations.
First patrol.
"U-597" departed Kiel on 27 June 1942 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean. Her route took her through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands toward Newfoundland
She arrived in Brest in occupied France on 16 August.
Second patrol and loss.
She departed Brest on 16 September and was sunk less than a month later on 12 October by depth charges dropped by a British B-24 Liberator of No. 120 Squadron RAF piloted by Squadron Leader Terry Bulloch.
Forty-nine men died in "U-597"; there were no survivors.
Wolfpacks.
"U-597" took part in eight wolfpacks, namely:
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