U 743
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U 743 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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|---|---|
| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | 51 797 |
| Shipyard: | F. Schichau shipyard , Danzig |
| Construction contract: | June 5, 1941 |
| Build number: | 1546 |
| Keel laying: | May 30, 1942 |
| Launch: | March 11, 1943 |
| Commissioning: | May 15, 1943 |
| Commanders: |
First Lieutenant Helmut Kandzior |
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 3 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
no |
| Whereabouts: | lost in the Faroe Island Passage in late summer 1944 |
U 743 was a German submarine of type VIIC that of the Navy during the Second World War in submarine warfare was used in the North Atlantic.
Technical specifications
The F. Schichau shipyard was only integrated into the war armaments after the occupation of Poland and built a total of 62 VII-C boats from 1941 to 1944. U 741 was a so-called "Atlantic boat " from a series commissioned in June 1941, which comprised a total of six boats: U 741 to U 746. A VII-C boat was 66.5 m long and displaced 760 t of water. With its 3000 hp diesel engine it made speeds of up to 17 knots over water and had a maximum range of 9500 nautical miles .
Snorkel boat
U 743 was equipped with a modern snorkel, which enabled longer underwater travel. Since this modification enabled fresh air to be supplied on the one hand and the toxic diesel exhaust fumes, on the other hand, "snorkel boats" had longer dwell times under water, could use the diesel engine under water and were better protected from being discovered.
The submarine snorkel in the type VII boats was designed as a foldable mast with internal tubes for supply and exhaust air, which also had a float at the top. When the snorkel was cut under the surface of the water, the swimmer prevented water from being sucked in and thus getting into the submerged boat.
When the engines were running, however, they drew their combustion air briefly from inside the boat, which is why “snorkeling” was unpopular with the crews. A sudden drop in pressure often caused eye bulging and tearing of the eardrum.
"Hohentwiel U" test boat
In May 1943 it became apparent that the U-boats of the Kriegsmarine had become obsolete and that the tactics of the Kriegsmarine had become ineffective when using the boats in submarine warfare in view of developments on the Allied side, especially in radar research and weapons development. Nevertheless, Karl Dönitz was determined to continue the fight with new boats of the outdated Type VII C. Until the hoped-for operational readiness of new types of electric boats, whose development he tried to accelerate by renouncing research, the new Commander in Chief of the Navy relied on upgrading the defensive power of the existing boats through various extensions and modifications, such as stronger armament, the Naxos radar receiver and experimental coatings of the outer shell that should make radar location impossible. Some of these new developments were outdated shortly after completion, others, such as anti-radar coatings, did not work and none had any significant effect. A radar device, such as the one used by the Luftwaffe to make it easier to find enemy ships, was expected to have an offensive effect. A prototype of the appropriately modified Hohentwiel device was installed for testing on U 743 and tested in the Baltic Sea from August 1943. Although the Hohentwiel was not as efficient in locating ship formations as the submarines' existing listening devices that tracked the convoys from 100 km away, the Hohentwiel U was installed in series on all new submarines after satisfactory test results on October 25th arranged.
commander
- May 15, 1943 - September 10, 1944
Helmut Kandzior was born in the Giant Mountains in 1919 and joined the Navy with crew 38. He completed his submarine training in July 1941 and, following his building instruction, became 2nd WO (Second Watch Officer ) on U 333 . Due to the severe wounds of Commander Cremer and 1st WO OlzS Bernhardt as a result of a destroyer attack , Lieutenant Kandzior was in command of U 333 for three days in autumn 1942 . In the spring of 1943, Helmut Kandzior completed the commanding course with the 24th U-Flotilla and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant at sea in April . In May of the same year he took over the newly commissioned U 743 in Kiel.
Oberleutnant zur See Kandzior and the 50 men from U 743 are missing.
history
U 743 was subordinated to the 8th U-Flotilla on May 15, 1943 and sailed as a training boat in the Baltic Sea until the end of June 1944. The boat then moved to Bergen in June 1944 and was subordinated to the 1st U-Flotilla on July 1, 1944. As a front boat, U 743 made two patrols from Bergen.
Fighting
U 743 was on its first patrol when it was discovered by an Australian pilot from the British 18th Group. The Liberator attacked the boat with eight depth charges. As a result of this attack, one man was killed, two others were wounded and U 743 was so badly damaged that a longer stay at the Bergen base was necessary.
Sinking
The sinking of U 743 on was attributed to the British frigate HMS Helmsdale and the corvette HMS Portchester . In fact, these ships sank U 484 on September 9th . U 743 went missing in the southern northern sea between August 21 and September 10, 1944. A diving accident or a mine explosion is assumed to be the cause.
Divers recently accidentally discovered the wreck, which could be clearly identified as U 743 . This was done while mapping and taking stock of the submarines sunk during Operation Deadlight.
The damage found on the wreck suggests that the boat was rammed to periscope depth .
literature
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
- Herbert A. Werner: The iron coffins (= Heyne books. No. 5177). Foreword by Hans Hellmut Kirst . Approved, unabridged paperback edition, 10th edition. Heyne, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-453-00515-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Padfield: The Submarine War. 1939-1945. License issue. Bechtermünz, Augsburg, 1999 ISBN 3-8289-0313-4 , p. 340.