German submarine ''U-598'' 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 ro ...

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's ''

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'' during

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. She carried out four patrols, was part of four wolfpacks and sank two ships; she also damaged one other. The boat was sunk by

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

s from two US aircraft, off the Brazilian coast on 23 July 1943.

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 ...

were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. ''U-598'' 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

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diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

s producing a total of for use while surfaced, two

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GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

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-598'' was fitted with five

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

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, ...

es, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a

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of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

The submarine was

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on 11 January 1941 at

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Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

as yard number 574, launched on 2 October 1941 and commissioned on 27 November under the command of ''

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'' Gottfried Holtorf. She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 27 November 1941 for training and the 6th flotilla for operations from 1 July 1942 until her loss.

First patrol

''U-598''s first patrol began from

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on 7 July 1942. She headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap separating

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and the

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. One man drowned while carrying out maintenance on hydroplanes and propellers in mid-Atlantic on 5 August. She damaged the ''Standella'', sank the ''Michael Jebsen'' and the ''Empire Corporal'', all on 14 August northwest of Barlovento Point, Cuba. The ''Empire Corporal'' had, as the , been damaged by a

and bombs in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

in 1940. She had been repaired and returned to service in 1942. The boat arrived at

St. Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oce ...

, in occupied France on 13 September.

Second and third patrols

''U-598''s second sortie was to the south of

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; it was relatively uneventful. Her third foray also started and finished in St. Nazaire between March and May 1943.

Fourth patrol and loss

The boat departed St. Nazaire for the last time on 26 June 1943. On 23 July she was sunk by depth charges dropped by two US Navy

PB4Y-1 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models de ...

s of VB-107 near

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

(on the Brazilian coast) at position . Forty-three men died with ''U-598''; there were two survivors.

Wolfpacks

''U-598'' took part in four wolfpacks, namely: * Jaguar (18 – 31 January 1943) * Stürmer (11 – 20 March 1943) * Seeteufel (23 – 30 March 1943) * Meise (11 – 27 April 1943)

Summary of raiding history

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:U0598 German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1941 U-boats sunk in 1943 U-boats sunk by US aircraft U-boats sunk by depth charges 1941 ships Ships built in Hamburg World War II submarines of Germany World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean World War II shipwrecks in the South Atlantic Maritime incidents in July 1943