The 500 ton U-Boat. Prior to the war, the German Government released details of the Type VII U-Boat and in the specs, they were shown to be 500 tons when in reality, they were much more. This was done to circumvent the London Navy Treaty which allowed Germany a certain amount of total tonnage in submarine building, rather than a specific number of submarines. Therefore, to get more submarines into the fleet, the specifications of the displacement was more than what was reported.
The biggest single difference between the VII-A and all other variants of the Type VII is that Tube 5, the stern tube, is ABOVE the waterline on the VII-A, but below the waterline on all other variants.
Type
VII-A
Displacement................ 626 tons surface; 745 tons submerged
Dimensions..................... 211' 9" x 19'3" x 14" 6"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,100 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 16 knots
(electric)...... 8 knots
Bunkers........................ 67 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 4,300 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 90 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried eleven torpedoes)
Guns.......................... Single 3.5 inch deck gun
(While the deck gun on the Type VII was an 88mm,
this was not the highly famed 88mm of the AA
or the land armies - totally different gun.)
AA Guns.................. Single 20mm
Crew........................ 44 men
The surface speed of the Type VII-A could be increased from 16 to 17 knots when her external saddle tanks were empty of fuel.
Type VII-A U-Boats built were U-27 through U-36.
Interesting historical note on the Type VII-A.......
The First! U-30, a Type VII-A under command of Fritz-Julius Lemp, was the first in many respects.
The First U-Boat into combat - she was already at sea when the order came to attack British shipping;
The First U-Boat to fire a torpedo - they blew up a rock they thought was a cruiser;
The First to sink a ship - On 3 September 1939, they sank the liner ATHENIA;
The First into a captured French port - U-30 entered Lorient while the city was still burning.
___________________________________
Type
VII-BThe "B" variant of the Type VII was very similar to the "A" except that the saddle tanks were modified to hold more fuel, therefore increasing fuel capacity and radius - it also improved their seaworthiness. Bigger diesel engines were installed to increase surface speed as well. The stern tube was placed underwater.
Displacement................ 753 tons surface; 857 tons submerged
Dimensions..................... 218' 3" x 20' 9" x 15" 6"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 17¼ knots
(electric)...... 8 knots
Bunkers........................ 108 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 6,500 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 80 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried twelve torpedoes or fourteen mines)
Guns.......................... Single 3.5 inch deck gun
AA Guns.................. Single 20mm
Crew........................ 44 men
Later in the war, AA armament was improved by adding a single 37mm and changing the single 20mm mount to two single mount 20mm guns. Late in the war, snorkels were added and the deck gun was removed.
Type VII-B U-Boats built were U-45 thru U-55; U-73 thru U-76; U-83 thru U-87; U-99 thru U-102
Interesting historical note on the Type VII-B.......
The three top Aces of the early years all drove Type VII-B U-Boats:
U-47 Günther Prien
U-99 Otto Kretschmer
U-100 Joachim Schepke
___________________________________
Type
VII-CThis was only the first of the "C" variants - there were others, but this is when the Frontboot, the combat U-boat, really took shape. The Type VII-C was widely produced and almost all U-Bootfahrer spent some time on a VII of one variant or another. There was not much change from the "B" variant to the "C" but most notable was the addition of two more torpedoes, stowed under the deck externally and the AA armament was beefed up.
Displacement................. 769/871 tons
Dimensions..................... 218' 3" x 20' 3" x 15" 6"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 17 knots
(electric)...... 7½ knots
Bunkers........................ 105.25 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 8,500 miles @ 10 knots
or....... 6,500 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 80 miles @ 4 knots
or..... 30 miles @ 2 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried fourteen torpedoes or fourteen)
Guns.......................... Single 3.5 inch deck gun
AA Guns.................. Single 37mm
two single mount 20mm
Crew........................ 44 men
Later in the war, snorkel was added, the 3.5 inch (88mm) deck gun was removed, the two single mount 20mm were changed to two twin mounts of 20mm. Various gunnery configurations were installed on different boats as the war drew on. Some of the boats had the 'Alberich' rubber coating as protection against sonar.
Type VII-C U-Boats built were: U-69 thru U-72; U-77 thru U-82; U-88 thruU-98; U-132 thru U-136;
U-201 thru U-212; U-201 thru U-212; U-221 thru U-232; U-235 thru U-458; U-465 thru U-486;
U-551 thru U-790; U-821 thru U-840; U-901 thru U-1058; U-1063 thru U-1080
Interesting historical notes on the Type VII-C.....
U-428 thru U-430 and U-746 thru U-750 were built for the Royal Italian Navy, but taken back in 1943;
U-573 was interned by the Spanish Navy & later became S-7 in that Navy after the war - there is speculation if
not actual proof, that this boat was taking very special people escaping to South America after the war;
U-255 was the first to have a fixed snorkel mast;
After U-441 was badly damaged in an attack ,she was outfitted with a great array of AA guns as a Flak trap;
At barely 21 years of age, the Skipper of U-995 was the youngest combat submarine Skipper of WW II;
U-995 is the ONLY Type VII U-Boat (any variant) left in the world.
___________________________________
TYPE VII-C41/2
The specifications for the Type VII-C41/2 are virtually the same as for the Type VII-C seen above. The major difference was that the pressure hull was strengthened for deeper diving.
Type VII-C41/2 U-Boats built were: U-1101 thru U-1220 and U-1271 thru U-1330
Interesting historical notes on the Type VII-C41/2........
U-1161 was built as S-8 for the Royal Italian Navy but was taken back in 1943 when Italy capitulated;
U-1105 had the 'Alberich' rubber coating to defeat sonar. She was known as the Black Panther, her Skipper
was Captain Schwartz (the German word for black) & after the war, she was taken to the United States for
study. In accordance with an agreement between the victorious allies demanding that all German U-Boats be
destroyed by the end of 1947, U-1105 was sunk off Point No Point in Chesapeake Bay. However, between
July & August 1949, U-1105 was refloated and towed to a spot off Piney Point in the Potomac River. There,
she was used to test a new kind of explosive & in mid-September 1949, U-1105 was split in half and sank in
the Potomac River.
___________________________________
Type VII-C42
The Type VII-C42 was further improved with larger fuel bunkers and therefore, increased radius. The pressure hull was further strengthened and the conning tower was given armor plating, and there was more AA.
Displacement................. 999/1,050 tons
Dimensions..................... 225' 6" x 22' 3" x 16" 3"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 16.75 knots
(electric)...... 7½ knots
Bunkers........................ 180 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 10,0500 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 80 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried fourteen torpedoes or fourteen mines)
Guns.......................... Single 3.5 inch deck gun
AA Guns.................. Single 37mm
two twin mount 20mm
Crew........................ 45 men
Later in the war, snorkel was added and the AA was increased to either two single mount 37mm and some had the quad mount 37mm AA guns. The 3.5 inch (88mm) deck gun was removed.
Type VII-C42 U-Boats built were: U-1093 thru U-1100; U-1331 thru U-1404; U-1417 thru U-1500; U-1801 thru U-2110, U-2301 thru U-2320
___________________________________
Type
VII-D
The Type VII-D was merely a Type VII-C with a 32 foot section added directly abaft the conning tower. This variant was built as a mine-layer, and so this additional section housed the free-flooding mine shafts. Because of the longer length of the boat, the bunkers were increased and naturally, so was the radius of action however, the added weight and size of the boat caused the speeds to drop somewhat.
Displacement................. 965/1,080 tons
Dimensions..................... 252' 3" x 21' x 16" 6"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 16 knots
(electric)...... 7¼ knots
Bunkers........................ 170 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 8,100 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 69 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried fourteen torpedoes or fourteen mines)
Guns.......................... No deck gun
AA Guns.................. Single 37mm
two single mount 20mm
Crew........................ 44 men
Snorkel was later added.
Type VII-D U-Boats built were U-213 thru U-218 and all six were built at Germania Werft in Kiel. By the time this variant was being built, the mine-sweeping techniques of the Allies were so effective that mines in harbors were always detected and destroyed, consequently mine laying submarines were no longer practical.
___________________________________
Type VII-E
the Type VII-E U-Boat was going to be a standard Type VII-C but with revolutionary new engines, designed to contribute great savings in weight to the boat, thereby allowing for additional fuel, armaments etc. However, the development of this new type engine was slow and suffered many delays until the project was finally abandoned. No Type VII-E U-Boats were ever contracted for.
___________________________________
Type
VII-F
The Type VII-F was similar to the Type VII-D in that an additional section had been added the the hull abaft the conning tower. In the case of the "F" variant, this was for additional torpedo stowage space rather than for mines or mine laying equipment. The Type VII-F was intended to bring additional torpedoes to the Frontboots (combat submarines) already operating in the open ocean or off the coast of an enemy country. The "F" variant could carry an additional 25 torpedoes and naturally, due to the increased length of the boat, the bunkers and therefore the radius, were greatly increased.
Displacement................. 1,084/1,181 tons
Dimensions..................... 254' 9" x 24' x 16"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 750 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 17 knots
(electric)...... 8 knots
Bunkers........................ 199 tons of fuel oil
Radius (diesel)..... 9,500 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).. 75 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ One 21 inch
(carried fourteen torpedoes plus twenty five more as replacements)
Guns.......................... No deck gun
AA Guns.................. Single 37mm
two single mount 20mm
Crew........................ 46 men
Type VII-F U-Boats built were U-1059 thru U-1062 and all four were built by the Germania Werft in Kiel.
___________________________________
NOTE - With the Type VII and all the variants, just like every other submarine of any nation, the number of men in the crew compliment is merely what that particular Type was designed to operate with. This number sometimes varied from patrol to patrol and also depending on the mission. It is not a firm, definite statistic.
Learn more about the U-Bootwaffe - the men, the boats, the missions etc. direct from the veterans themselves. CLICK HERE for more information.
BACK to U-BOAT MAIN PAGE