German submarine U-507

U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-507
Ordered20 October 1939
BuilderDeutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number303
Laid down11 September 1940
Launched15 July 1941
Commissioned8 October 1941
FateSunk by aircraft on 13 January 1943[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXC submarine
Displacement
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament
Service record[2][3]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 19 192
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 4 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 12 – 25 March 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 4 April – 4 June 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 4 July – 12 October 1942
  • 4th patrol:
  • a. 24 – 26 November 1942
  • b. 28 November 1942 – 13 January 1943
Victories:
  • 19 merchant ships sunk
    (77,143 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (6,561 GRT)

German submarine U-507 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service in the Second World War and the Battle of the Atlantic. She was mainly notable for two patrols she conducted during the "Second Happy Time" in mid-1942, during the first of which she caused havoc in the Gulf of Mexico amongst unprotected American shipping, and then in the second she attacked ships along the coast of Brazil, in an inexplicable and shocking attack on a neutral nation's shipping in its own waters which almost single-handedly provoked the Brazilian declaration of war on Germany.

The U-boat was built during 1941 by the Deutsche Werft shipyards in Hamburg, and commissioned on 8 October 1941, with Korvettenkapitän Harro Schacht in command. Schacht commanded the boat for its entire lifespan, receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 January 1943 in recognition of his successful patrols in the preceding year. He never wore his award however, as he was killed with his entire crew when the boat was sunk four days later.[4]

  1. ^ Kemp 1999, p. 99.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-507". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-507". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Fregattenkapitän Harro Schacht". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2009.