German submarine ''U-711'' was a Type VIIC

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

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's ''

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'' during

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. Ordered 7 December 1940,

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

, 31 July 1941 and launched 25 June 1942. She was commanded by ''

Oberleutnant zur See ''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the Imper ...

'' Hans-Günther Lange (who was awarded the Knights Cross).

Design

German Type VIIC submarines German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. ''U-711'' had a total length of , a

pressure hull A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...

length of , a

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of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder

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s producing a total of for use while surfaced, two

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GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two

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s. 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-711'' was fitted with five

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s (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, removed in the summer of 1944, when she was fitted with the schnorkeland and two, twin C/30

anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

s. The boat had a

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of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

During her active service career, U-711 sank 2 ships and damaged a third. ''U-711'' attacked and sank the British corvette on 17 February 1945 with an acoustic homing torpedo, which caused her depth charges to explode. ''Bluebell'' sank in less than 30 seconds and from her crew of 86 there was only one survivor.

Fate

On 4 May 1945, ''U-711'' was sunk by aircraft of the

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during Operation Judgement, an attack on the depot ships and ''Senja'' anchored at

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, south of Harstad, Norway. This was the last air-raid of the war in Europe.

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and

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aircraft, from FAA Squadrons

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and

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, operating from the British

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, and sank the ''Black Watch'' with 7 direct hits and 4 near misses. ''U-711'', was moored alongside and was damaged but managed to sail away. The U-Boat had a harbour crew of eight on board, including the captain, who all survived although forty of her crew who were berthed on the depot ship were killed. The submarine later sank. A few hours earlier Lange had received the signal from Germany ordering all U-boats to cease attacks on allied shipping.

Wolfpacks

''U-711'' took part in nine wolfpacks, namely: * Wiking (1 August – 20 September 1943) * Blitz (24 March – 5 April 1944) * Keil (11 – 14 April 1944) * Donner & Keil (24 April – 3 May 1944) * Grimm (31 May – 6 June 1944) * Trutz (8 June – 7 July 1944) * Greif (3 – 18 August 1944) * Rasmus (9 – 13 February 1945) * Hagen (15 – 21 March 1945)

Summary of raiding history

Dive site

As no-one was killed during her sinking, ''U-711s location is not classed as a

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

and is a well-documented dive-site, lying at approximately 50 meters depth and only having minor damage.Wreck site - U-711
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References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0711 German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1942 1942 ships U-boats sunk in 1945 World War II submarines of Germany Ships built in Hamburg U-boats sunk by British aircraft U-boats sunk by depth charges World War II shipwrecks in the Norwegian Sea Maritime incidents in May 1945