German submarine U-701
 Survivors are rescued from the U-701. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany
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| Name: | U-701 |
| Builder: | HC Stülcken & Sohn, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | 13 May 1940 |
| Launched: | 16 April 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 16 July 1941 |
| In service: | 16 July 1941 to 7 July 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a USAAF Hudson on 7 July 1942 about 22 miles off Cape Hatteras. Seven survivors including the Captain were taken as prisoners of war. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Type VIIC submarine |
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| Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
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| Complement: | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
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| Nearest city | Buxton, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| MPS | World War II Shipwrecks along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | 15000806 |
| Added to NRHP | November 12, 2015 |
German submarine U-701 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on 16 April 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen, with a crew of 43.
In three operational patrols U-701 sank five ships, of 25,390 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged four others for 37,093 GRT. She also sank four auxiliary warships and damaged a destroyer.
She was destroyed in an air attack on 7 July 1942 and rests at a depth of 115 feet (35 m) at 35°14.330′N 75°06.690′W / 35.238833°N 75.111500°WCoordinates: 35°14.330′N 75°06.690′W / 35.238833°N 75.111500°W.[1]
Fate
U-701 was destroyed on 7 July 1942 off Cape Hatteras. While running on the surface U-701 was attacked by a Hudson of 396 Sqdn USAAF. She was hit by two bombs and sunk. 17 of her crew were able to escape, but were adrift for two days before being found and rescued by the US Coast Guard. By that time just 7 men had survived.
Final resting place
At 115 feet (35 m) below the surface, U-701 is still intact, retaining its 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun. Majority of the debris lies within 100 metres (330 ft) radius of the wreck.[1] This wreck has become an artificial reef that is heavily populated with Seriola dumerili.[1]
The wreck of the U-701 was originally discovered by Uwe Lovas in the coastal waters off Cape Hatteras in 1989.[2] The location of the wreck and the site remained a closely guarded secret and therefore undisturbed for 15 years.[2] The U-701 represents a virtually intact, pristine wreck site and a unique opportunity to explore and experience an unspoiled U-boat within recreational diving depths on the East Coast of the United States.
Recently, the vessel’s location has been rediscovered and the coordinates have become accessible to the general public, who have already begun diving the site. An overwhelming majority of the local recreational and wreck diving community is deeply concerned about the potential for disturbance, damage and loss resulting from unauthorized salvage.[2][3][4] The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
A dive to the wreck in 2011[5] was documented in the National Geographic TV documentary, Hitler's Secret Attack on America (2013).
Wolfpacks
U-701 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.
- Ziethen (6–22 January 1942)
- Westwall (2–12 March 1942)
- York (12–26 March 1942)
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage ({{{amt}}} GRT) | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 1942 | Baron Erskine |  United Kingdom |
3,657 | Sunk |
| 6 March 1942 | Rononia | United Kingdom |
213 | Sunk |
| 7 March 1942 | Nyggjaberg |  Faeroes |
349 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1942 | HMS Notts County |  Royal Navy |
541 | Sunk |
| 11 March 1942 | HMS Stella Capella | Royal Navy |
507 | Sunk |
| 15 June 1942 | HMS Kingston Ceylonite | Royal Navy |
448 | Sunk (mine) |
| 15 June 1942 | USS Bainbridge |  United States Navy |
1,190 | Damaged (mine) |
| 15 June 1942 | Robert C. Tuttle | United States |
11,615 | Damaged (mine) |
| 15 June 1942 | Esso Augusta | United States |
11,237 | Damaged (mine) |
| 17 June 1942 | Santore | United States |
7,117 | Sunk (mine) |
| 19 June 1942 | USS YP-389 | United States Navy |
170 | Sunk |
| 26 June 1942 | Tamesis |  Norway |
7,256 | Damaged |
| 27 June 1942 | British Freedom | United Kingdom |
6,985 | Damaged |
| 28 June 1942 | William Rockefeller | United States |
14,054 | Sunk |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Hoyt, Joe C (2009). "2008 Battle of the Atlantic Survey Methodology". In: Pollock NW, ed. Diving for Science 2009. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 28th Symposium. Dauphin Island, AL: AAUS; 2009. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- 1 2 3 Hoyt, Joe C. "History and Disposition of the U-701" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ↑ Catherine Kozak, “Scuba Diving Thieves Plunder Rare Unspoiled WW II Submarine Wreck U-701,” Virginian-Pilot, 8 September 2004
- ↑ Jerry Allegood, “The U-boat,” Raleigh News and Observer, 5 December 2004.
- ↑ NOAA National Marine Sanctuary, 2011 Battle of the Atlantic Expedition
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-701". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel (London: Conway Maritime Press). ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
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Media related to U-701 (submarine, 1941) at Wikimedia Commons - Article by Paul M. Hudy
- Article about preserving the U-701 on the Project Aware website
- A blog about the U-701
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-701". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.