German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-635 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] 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 superchargeddiesel 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).[2]
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).[2] 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-635 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/30anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 13 August 1942, followed by active service on 1 April 1943 as part of the 3rd Flotilla for the remainder of her very short service.
In one patrol she damaged two merchant ships, for a total of 14,894 gross register tons (GRT).
At 22:15 on 4 April, U-635’s torpedoes struck the lead ship of the column, the British freighter Shillong. U-630 delivered the coup de grâce. She took only 12 minutes to sink.
The next target was the British refrigerated ship Waroonga, whose cargo included butter and meat from New Zealand. She was hit with 2 torpedoes, but stayed afloat thanks to the integrity of her watertight bulkheads. However, it wasn't to last as she too was despatched by U-630[citation needed] the following day.
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-635". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
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. ISBN1-55750-186-6.