History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-957 |
Ordered | 10 April 1941 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number | 157 |
Laid down | 11 March 1942 |
Launched | 21 November 1942 |
Commissioned | 7 January 1943 |
Decommissioned | 21 October 1944 |
Fate | Probably scuttled in May 1945 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 50 029 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
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German submarine U-957 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Laid down by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg on 11 March 1942, the U-boat was launched on 21 November 1942, and commissioned on 7 January 1943, by Oberleutnant zur See Franz Saar.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-957 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[1] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[1]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-957 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[1]
Service history
Under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Gerhard Schaar U-957 carried out seven war patrols between December 1943 and October 1944, sinking two commercial vessels; the British Fort Bellingham and the Soviet survey vessel Nord; and two military vessels, the American submarine chaser USS PTC-38, and the Soviet corvette Brilliant.
Fate
Her combat career ended on 19 October 1944 at Lofoten, Norway, when she collided with a German steamer. On 21 October 1944 she was taken out of service in Trondheim.
In May 1945, she was probably scuttled in the Skjömenfjord.[2]
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[3] |
---|---|---|---|---|
26 January 1944 | Fort Bellingham | United Kingdom | 7,153 | Sunk |
26 January 1944 | USS PTC-38 | United States Navy | 54 | Sunk |
26 August 1944 | Nord | Soviet Navy | 411 | Sunk |
23 September 1944 | Brilliant | Soviet Navy | 550 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- ↑ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-957". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-957". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-957". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 957". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 29 December 2014.