German submarine U-751 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. Built as yard number 134 of the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, she was commissioned on 31 January 1941. She served with 7th U-boat Flotilla until 1 June as a training boat, and as an operational boat until 17 July 1942, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Gerhard Bigalk. U-751 served in seven patrols with the 7th U-boat Flotilla, sinking the escort carrier HMS Audacity. The U-boat was attacked with depth charges from aircraft on 17 July 1942 and sank with the loss of all 48 crew members.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-751 had a displacement of 769 t when at the surface and 871 t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m, a pressure hull length of 50.50 m, a beam of 6.20 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.74 m. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2800 to 3200 PS for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 m. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 8500 nmi at 10 kn. U-751 was fitted with five 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

On 14 June 1941, eleven days into her thirty-three-day first patrol while en route from Kiel to St. Nazaire, U-751 attacked and sank the British ship St Lindsay. Arriving at St. Nazaire on 5 July, U-751 stayed in port for thirty-four days before going on her second patrol. She attacked no ships on her second and third voyages. Five days into her fourth patrol, on 21 December 1941, U-751 attacked and sank HMS Audacity (D10), an escort carrier attached with British convoy HG 76. On 14 January 1942, U-751 left St. Nazaire on her fifth patrol, destined to return on 23 February. Nineteen days into this patrol, on February 2, U-751 attacked and damaged the Dutch ship Corilla, part of convoy HX 173. Two days later, she sank the British ship Silveray, adding another to her score. Another British ship, Empire Sun, was sunk another three days later, for. The American ships Nicarao and Isabela were sunk in her sixth patrol, on 16 and 19 May 1942, totalling 1,455 and s respectively.

Wolfpacks

U-751 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:

Fate

After serving six operational patrols, U-751 was attacked on her seventh patrol four days into her voyage on 17 July 1942. After an initial attack by a Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber (of No. 502 Squadron RAF) had disabled her, she was attacked by a second aircraft, an Avro Lancaster bomber (of No. 61 Squadron RAF) seconded to Coastal Command. Both aircraft took photographs of U-751 on the surface, reporting men and lifeboats in the water. She was sunk by depth charges from the Lancaster, with all hands lost, in the Atlantic around 200 miles north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain.

Summary of raiding history

Citations