PROFILPELAJAR.COM

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-608
Ordered	22 May 1940
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	584
Laid down	27 March 1941
Launched	11 December 1941
Commissioned	5 February 1942
Fate	Scuttled on 10 August 1944
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)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels); 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors.;
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced; 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged;
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft); Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft);
Complement	As U-441 : 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted; As U-flak 1 : 67 officers & ratings;
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; 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; 5 February – 31 August 1942; 6th U-boat Flotilla; 1 September 1942 – 10 August 1944;
Identification codes:	M 30 340
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rolf Struckmeier; 5 February 1942 – 12 January 1944; Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Reisener; 21 January – 10 August 1944;
Operations:	9 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 20 August – 24 September 1942; 2nd patrol:; 20 October – 9 December 1942; 3rd patrol:; 20 January – 29 March 1943; 4th patrol:; 8 May – 18 July 1943; 5th patrol:; a. 23 – 25 September 1943; b. 2 October – 28 November 1943; 6th patrol:; 29 January – 3 April 1944; 7th patrol:; 6 – 14 June 1944; 8th patrol:; 22 – 23 July 1944; 9th patrol:; 7 – 10 August 1944;
Victories:	4 merchant ships sunk ; (35,539 GRT); 1 warship sunk ; (291 tons);

German submarine U-608 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. During the Battle of the Atlantic, she was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Rolf Struckmeier as a unit of Wolfpack Vorwärts.

She was scuttled in the Bay of Biscay on 10 August 1944 after being attacked by a RAF Liberator aircraft with depth charges.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-608 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 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 BBC 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-608 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.^[2]

Fate

She was scuttled in the Bay of Biscay on 10 August 1944 after being attacked by a RAF Liberator aircraft with depth charges. The damaged boat surfaced unnoticed and was scuttled by her crew, which was rescued by HMS Wren six hours later suffering no losses.^[3]

Wolfpacks

U-608 took part in 19 wolfpacks, namely:

Stier (29 August – 2 September 1942)
Vorwärts (2 – 15 September 1942)
Pfeil (1 – 9 February 1943)
Neptun (18 February – 3 March 1943)
Neuland (8 – 13 March 1943)
Dränger (14 – 20 March 1943)
Trutz (1 – 16 June 1943)
Trutz 1 (16 – 29 June 1943)
Geier 1 (30 June – 15 July 1943)
Schlieffen (14 – 22 October 1943)
Siegfried (22 – 27 October 1943)
Siegfried 1 (27 – 30 October 1943)
Jahn (31 October – 2 November 1943)
Tirpitz 2 (2 – 8 November 1943)
Eisenhart 7 (9 – 11 November 1943)
Schill 2 (17 – 22 November 1943)
Igel 2 (9 – 17 February 1944)
Hai 1 (17 – 22 February 1944)
Preussen (22 February – 14 March 1944)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 1]}	Fate^[4]
12 September 1942	Hektoria	United Kingdom	13,797	Sunk
12 September 1942	Empire Moonbeam	United Kingdom	6,849	Sunk
16 November 1942	Irish Pine	Ireland	5,621	Sunk
8 February 1943	Daghild	Norway	9,272	Sunk
8 February 1943	HMS LCT-2335^{[Note 2]}	Royal Navy	291	Sunk

References

Notes

^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
^ Being carried by Daghild.

Citations

^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
^ Busch & Röll 1999b, p. 273-4.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-608". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 August 2014.

Bibliography

Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45. London: Amber Books. ISBN 1904687962.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999a). 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 (1999b). 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.
Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 105, 107, 108, 148. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
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.