German submarine U-977

	U-977 moored at Mar del Plata naval base
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-977
Ordered	5 June 1941
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	177
Laid down	24 July 1942
Launched	31 March 1943
Commissioned	6 May 1943
Captured	Surrendered to Argentine Navy on 17 August 1945 at Mar del Plata, Argentina
Fate	Sunk by torpedo from USS Atule during torpedo trials on 13 November 1946
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220.1 ft) o/a; 50.50 m (165.7 ft) pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20.3 ft) o/a; 4.70 m (15.4 ft) pressure hull;
Draught	4.74 m (15.6 ft)
Propulsion	Surfaced: 3,200 PS (2,400 kW; 3,200 bhp); Submerged: 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp);
Speed	Surfaced 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph); submerged 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph);
Range	Surfaced: 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged: 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph);
Test depth	Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds); 1 × twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla; 6 May – 30 September 1943; 21st U-boat Flotilla; 1 October 1943 – 28 February 1945; 31st U-boat Flotilla; 1 March – 8 May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 51 994
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hans Leilich; 6 May 1943 – March 1945; Oblt.z.S. Heinz Schäffer; March – 17 August 1945;
Operations:	1 patrol:; 2 May – 17 August 1945;
Victories:	None

German submarine U-977 was a World War II Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine which escaped to Argentina after Germany's surrender. The submarine's voyage to Argentina led to legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that it and U-530 had transported escaping Nazi leaders (such as Adolf Hitler) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, and even that it sank the Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic.^[1]^[2]

^ Salinas & De Nápoli , 2002.
^ Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.

[1] Salinas & De Nápoli , 2002.

[2] Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.

[1]

[2]

History
U-977 moored at Mar del Plata naval base
Nazi Germany
Name	U-977
Ordered	5 June 1941
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	177
Laid down	24 July 1942
Launched	31 March 1943
Commissioned	6 May 1943
Captured	Surrendered to Argentine Navy on 17 August 1945 at Mar del Plata, Argentina
Fate	Sunk by torpedo from USS Atule during torpedo trials on 13 November 1946
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220.1 ft) o/a 50.50 m (165.7 ft) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20.3 ft) o/a 4.70 m (15.4 ft) pressure hull
Draught	4.74 m (15.6 ft)
Propulsion	Surfaced: 3,200 PS (2,400 kW; 3,200 bhp) Submerged: 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp)
Speed	Surfaced 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) submerged 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph)
Range	Surfaced: 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged: 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Test depth	Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) 1 × twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla 6 May – 30 September 1943 21st U-boat Flotilla 1 October 1943 – 28 February 1945 31st U-boat Flotilla 1 March – 8 May 1945
Identification codes:	M 51 994
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hans Leilich 6 May 1943 – March 1945 Oblt.z.S. Heinz Schäffer March – 17 August 1945
Operations:	1 patrol: 2 May – 17 August 1945
Victories:	None