# German submarine U-757

German submarine U-757 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. Laid down as yard number 140 at the Kriegsmarinewerft (KMW) in Wilhelmshaven, U-757 served with 6th U-boat Flotilla from 28 February 1942 until 8 January 1944 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Friedrich Deetz.

## Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-757 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 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).
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-757 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.

## Service history

U-757's first victims were the British transport vessel HMS LCT-2398 - destroying 291 tons of shipping - in the convoy HX 228, and the American merchant vessel William C. Gorgas- destroying a further 7,197 GRT of shipping. Both incidents occurred on 11 March 1943, fourteen days into her twenty-five-day-long third patrol. Of the seventy-three crewmen on board the Gorgas, twenty-two perished.
On her fourth patrol, U-757 sank the Norwegian Fernhill on 7 August 1943, thirty-one days into her sixty-day patrol, 4,116 GRT of shipping lost in the sea. Of the ship's forty-four crewmen, forty survived the attack, being rescued by the American tanker Idaho two days later.

### Fate

On 8 January 1944 in the North Atlantic, south-west of Ireland, U-757 was hit by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Bayntun and the Canadian corvette HMCS Camrose. U-757 went down with all 49 seamen, at position 50°33′N 18°03′W﻿ / ﻿50.550°N 18.050°W﻿ / 50.550; -18.050.

### Wolfpacks

U-757 took part in five wolfpacks, namely:
* Panther (6 – 10 October 1942)
* Neuland (4 – 12 March 1943)
* Without name (11 – 29 July 1943)
* Rügen 5 (6 – 7 January 1944)
* Rügen (7 – 8 January 1944)

## Summary of raiding history

| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
| 11 March 1943 | William C. Gorgas | United States | 7,197 | Sunk |
| 11 March 1943 | HMS LCT-2398 | Royal Navy | 291 | Sunk |
| 7 August 1943 | Fernhill | Norway | 4,116 | Sunk |