German submarine ''U-744'' 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 ...

, launched on 11 March 1943, 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 Imp ...

'' Heinz Blischke.

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-744'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She 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 beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged

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-ca ...

s 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 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, s ...

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

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

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 Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore wi ...

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."U-744 is boarded" U Boat Archive http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-257-U-744Photos.htm

Wolfpacks

''U-744'' took part in five wolfpacks, namely: * Coronel 1 (15 – 17 December 1943) * Sylt (18 – 23 December 1943) * Rügen 2 (23 – 28 December 1943) * Rügen 1 (28 December 1943 – 3 January 1944) * Preussen (26 February – 6 March 1944)

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0744 German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1943 U-boats sunk in 1944 U-boats sunk by British warships U-boats sunk by Canadian warships U-boats sunk by depth charges World War II submarines of Germany 1943 ships Ships built in Danzig World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships built by Schichau Maritime incidents in March 1944