German submarine U-706

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-706
Ordered	9 October 1939
Builder	H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg
Yard number	766
Laid down	22 November 1940
Launched	24 November 1941
Commissioned	16 March 1942
Fate	Sunk on 2 August 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a; 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced; 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft); Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft);
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds); 1 x 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA gun;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla; 16 March – 30 September 1942; 3rd U-boat Flotilla; 1 October 1942 – 2 August 1943;
Identification codes:	M 43 347
Commanders:	Kptlt. / K.Kapt. Alexander von Zitzewitz; 16 March 1942 – 2 August 1943;
Operations:	5 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 22 September – 7 November 1942; 2nd patrol:; 8 December 1942 – 13 February 1943; 3rd patrol:; 15 March – 11 May 1943; 4th patrol:; 4 – 8 July 1943; 5th patrol:; a. 26 – 27 July 1943; b. 29 July – 2 August 1943;
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk ; (18,650 GRT)

German submarine U-706, a type VIIC U-boat, was laid down on 22 November 1940. She was launched on 24 November 1941 and commissioned on 16 March 1942.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-706 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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-706 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 a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.^[1]

Service history

U-706 was commanded by Korvettenkapitän Alexander von Zitzewitz. She was attached to the 5th Flotilla from 16 March until 30 September 1942. On 1 October 1942, she was transferred to the 3rd Flotilla and made five patrols during the war, sinking three ships with a total tonnage of 18,650 GRT. On 2 August 1943, while in Bay of Biscay, she was disabled by depth charges from a Canadian Hampden aircraft, then finished off by a US Liberator aircraft from A/S Sqdn. 4. She sank at position 46°15′N 10°25′W / 46.250°N 10.417°W / 46.250; -10.417.

Wolfpacks

U-706 took part in ten wolfpacks, namely:

Luchs (1 – 6 October 1942)
Panther (6 – 20 October 1942)
Südwärts (24 – 26 October 1942)
Falke (28 December 1942 – 4 January 1943)
Jaguar (18 – 31 January 1943)
Seeteufel (23 – 30 March 1943)
Löwenherz (1 – 10 April 1943)
Lerche (10 – 16 April 1943)
Meise (16 – 22 April 1943)
Specht (22 April – 4 May 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[2]
12 October 1942	Stornest	United Kingdom	4,265	Sunk
5 April 1943	British Ardour	United Kingdom	7,124	Sunk
12 April 1943	Fresno City	United Kingdom	7,261	Sunk

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-706". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 February 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. 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.