German submarine U-777 was a German Type VIIC U-boat built in World War II, launched on 25 March 1944, and commissioned on 9 May, by its sole commander, Oberleutnant zur See Günter Ruperti.
Design German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-777 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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-777 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one Flak M42 and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
It underwent training with the 31st U-boat Flotilla, but did not participate in any patrols during its five-month career of active service. It was destroyed at 20:02 hours on the night of 15/16 October 1944, during a British air raid on Wilhelmshaven, Germany, at position . One crewman was killed.U-Boat Operations of the Second World War, Volume 2: Career Histories, U511-UIT25
Other notes Despite the fact that many other U-boats lost men due to accident, disease and various other causes, the crew of U-777 did not suffer any casualties until she was destroyed and was sunk. The commander of the ship, Günter Ruperti, also commanded during World War II, by which time he had been promoted to Kapitänleutnant. He commanded U-3039 from March 1945 until May 1945, taking up his post only about five months after U-777 was sunk.
References
Bibliography
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War, Volume 2: Career Histories, U511-UIT25
External links