German submarine U-793 was a Type XVIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was one of a small number of U-boats fitted with Hellmuth Walter's high test peroxide propulsion system, which offered a combination of air-independent propulsion and high submerged speeds. She spent the war as a trials vessel and was scuttled on 4 May 1945 in the Audorfer See, near Rendsburg.[3]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-793 |
| Ordered | 19 June 1942 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 456 |
| Laid down | 1 December 1942 |
| Launched | 4 March 1944 |
| Commissioned | 24 April 1944 |
| Fate | Scuttled on 4 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type XVIIA submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
|
| Draught | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Capacity |
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| Complement | 12 |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 52 805 |
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: | None |
| Victories: | None |
Construction
editThe U-793 was laid down on 1 December 1942 at the Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, as yard number 456. She was launched on 4 March 1944 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Günther Schauenburg on 24 April 1944.[3]
When she was completed, the submarine was 39.05 metres (128 ft 1 in) long overall, with a beam of 4.50 metres (14 ft 9 in) and a draught of 4.30 metres (14 ft 1 in). She was assessed at 309 long tons (314 t) submerged. The submarine was powered by one Deutz SAA 8M517 supercharged 8-cylinder diesel engine producing a total of 210–230 metric horsepower (150–170 kW; 210–230 shp) for use while surfaced and one Walter gas turbines producing a total of 2,500 metric horsepower (1,800 kW; 2,500 shp) for use while submerged. She had one shaft and one propeller. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) using the HTP drive. When submerged, the U-boat could operate for 127 nautical miles (235 km; 146 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) on her HTP system and when surfaced, she could travel 2,910 nautical miles (5,390 km; 3,350 mi) at 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph).[4]
The submarine was fitted with two 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (All fitted at the bow) and four torpedoes. The boat had a complement of 12 men.[4]
Service history
editU-793 did not undertake any war patrols and was instead assigned as a trials boat at first to the 8th U-boat Flotilla, followed by the 5th U-boat Flotilla.[3]
The U-793 was scuttled on 4 May 1945 at 1.30am in the Audorfer See (Kaiser Wilhelm Canal), near Rendsburg during Operation Regenbogen.[3]
Wreck
editThe wreck of U-793 lay at 54°19′N 09°43′E / 54.317°N 9.717°E until 26 May 1945, when she was lifted by the British and taken to the Howaldtswerke in Kiel to be examined. She was first raised as a British prize and used for trials, but was soon torn down for parts and finally scrapped.[5]
References
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Rolf Bahn". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Schmidt". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur (1995). "U-793". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ a b Hofmann, Markus (24 October 2010). "Wa 201". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Hofmann, Markus (21 September 2014). "U-793". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
Bibliography
edit- 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). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: 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.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.