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German submarine U 957

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Name
  
U-957

Yard number
  
157

Commissioned
  
7 January 1943

Construction started
  
11 March 1942

Length
  
67 m

Beam
  
6.18 m

Ordered
  
10 April 1941

Laid down
  
11 March 1942

Decommissioned
  
21 October 1944

Launched
  
21 November 1942

Draft
  
4.74 m

Builder
  
Blohm + Voss

Part of
  
5th U-boat Flotilla, 3rd U-boat Flotilla, 11th U-boat Flotilla, 13th U-boat Flotilla

German submarine U-957 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Contents

Laid down by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, on 11 March 1942, the U-boat was launched on 21 November 1942, and commissioned on 7 January 1943, by Leutnant zur See Franz Saar.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-957 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. 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 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).

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). 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-957 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 an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

Under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Gerhard Schaar U-957 carried out seven war patrols between December 1943 and October 1944, sinking two commercial vessels; the British Fort Bellingham and the Soviet survey vessel Nord; and two military vessels, the American submarine chaser USS PTC-38, and the Soviet corvette Brilliant.

Fate

Her combat career ended on 19 October 1944 at Lofoten, Norway, when she collided with a German steamer. On 21 October 1944 she was taken out of service in Trondheim.

On 29 May 1945 she was taken to England where she was broken up.

References

German submarine U-957 Wikipedia