German submarine U-247
German submarine "U-247" was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 16 December 1942 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 681, launched on 23 September 1943 and commissioned on 23 October under the command of "Oberleutnant zur See" Gerhard Matschulat. In two patrols, she sank one ship of 207 GRT. She was sunk by Canadian warships on 1 September 1944. Design. German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-247" had a displacement of when  at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged , the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-247" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, (220 rounds), one Flak M42 and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty. Service history. After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, "U-247" was transferred to the 1st flotilla for front-line service on 23 October 1943. First patrol. The boat's first patrol was preceded by a short trip between  Kiel in Germany, and Arendal and Bergen in Norway. Her first sortie began with her departure from Bergen on 31 May 1944. She passed into the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. She sank the "Noreen Mary" on 5 July west of Scotland, with gunfire, not torpedoes, which was quite remarkable by this stage of the war, with a near constant Allied air presence so close to the British coast. It is alleged that her crew then machine-gunned survivors of the fishing boat in the water, only one of two cases believed to have  substance to the claim (see also ). She then skirted to the west of Ireland, before arriving at Brest in occupied France, on 27 July. Second patrol and loss. The boat had left Brest on 26 August 1944. Patrolling near Lands End, at the western end of the English Channel, she was attacked and sunk on 1 September by depth charges from the Canadian frigates and . Fifty-two men died; there were no survivors.