German submarine U-508

	U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-508
Ordered	20 October 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	304
Laid down	24 September 1940
Launched	30 July 1941
Commissioned	20 October 1941
Fate	Sunk on 12 November 1943 in the Bay of Biscay by a US aircraft
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC submarine
Displacement	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced; 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a ; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull ;
Beam	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a; 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines ; 2 × electric motors ;
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced; 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged;
Range	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes ; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun; 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla ; 20 October 1941 – 30 June 1942; 10th U-boat Flotilla ; 1 July 1942 – 12 November 1943;
Identification codes:	M 36 926
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Georg Staats ; 20 October 1941 – 12 November 1943;
Operations:	6 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 25 June – 15 September 1942; 2nd patrol:; 17 October 1942 – 6 January 1943; 3rd patrol:; 22 February – 15 March 1943; 4th patrol:; 29 – 31 May 1943; 5th patrol:; a. 7 June – 14 September 1943; b. 1 – 3 November 1943; 6th patrol:; 9 – 12 November 1943;
Victories:	14 merchant ships sunk ; (74,087 GRT)

Last updated March 20, 2024

German submarine U-508 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Design

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-508 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.^[2] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).^[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).^[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-508 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[2]

Service history

First patrol

The boat departed Kiel on 30 July 1942, moved through the North Sea and negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She sailed close to the west coast of Ireland in a southerly direction, then turned southwest toward Cuba.

She sank the Manzanillo on 12 August 1942 in the Straits of Florida.^[4]

She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, (which was to be her base for most of the rest of her career), on 15 September 1942.

Second patrol

U-508's second foray took her to the waters off South America. The pickings were rich. This sortie, while not the boat's longest, was her most successful. Some, but not all of her victims are shown below:

She sank the City of Corinth north of Trinidad on 17 November 1942.

Ten days later, she sank the Clan Mcfayden95 nautical miles (176 km; 109 mi) east of Galeota Point, Trinidad.

She went on to sink the Solon II on 3 December northeast of Georgetown, British Guiana. The ship went down in twenty seconds.

The Nigerian, which was sunk on 9 December, had among her passengers, four British Army officers. They were taken prisoner and landed at Lorient on the submarine's return.

Third, fourth and fifth patrols

On her third patrol, the boat was attacked by a British B-24 Liberator of No. 224 Squadron RAF and seriously damaged.

Her fourth sortie was relatively uneventful and short, lasting just three days.

Patrol number five, at 100 days the longest, saw the U-boat steam as far as the west African coast. In the Gulf of Guinea, she sank the Manchester Citizen on 9 July 1943. She then sank the Incomati on the 18th, 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) south of Lagos in Nigeria. She returned to Lorient on 14 September.

Sixth patrol and loss

Having moved from Lorient to St. Nazaire, U-508 departed for her sixth and what turned out to be her final patrol on 9 November. On the 12th, while still on the outward leg, she was sunk by a US Navy PB4Y-1 Liberator of VB-103 in the Bay of Biscay.

Fifty-seven men died; there were no survivors.^[1]^[5]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[6]
12 August 1942	Manzanillo	Cuba	1,025	Sunk
12 August 1942	Santiago de Cuba	Cuba	1,685	Sunk
7 November 1942	Lindenhall	United Kingdom	5,248	Sunk
7 November 1942	Nathaniel Hawthorne	United States	7,176	Sunk
17 November 1942	City of Corinth	United Kingdom	5,318	Sunk
27 November 1942	Clan Macfadyen	United Kingdom	6,191	Sunk
28 November 1942	Empire Cromwell	United Kingdom	5,970	Sunk
1 December 1942	Trevalgan	United Kingdom	5,299	Sunk
2 December 1942	City of Bath	United Kingdom	5,079	Sunk
3 December 1942	Solon II	United Kingdom	4,561	Sunk
9 December 1942	Nigerian	United Kingdom	5,423	Sunk
9 July 1943	De La Salle	United Kingdom	8,400	Sunk
9 July 1943	Manchester Citizen	United Kingdom	5,343	Sunk
18 July 1943	Incomati	United Kingdom	7,369	Sunk

Related Research Articles

German submarine U-549 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 September 1942 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg, launched on 28 April 1943, and commissioned on 14 July 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Detlev Krankenhagen. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla at Stettin, the U-boat was transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 January 1944.

German submarine <i>U-518</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-518 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She saw considerable success from her launch on 11 February 1942 until she was sunk on 22 April 1945. The U-boat was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 314 on 12 June 1941, and commissioned on 25 April 1942 with Fregattenkapitän Hans-Günther Brachmann in command. He was replaced on 19 August 1942 by Kapitänleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann. She sank nine ships and damaged three more in seven active patrols. U-518 had a crew of 56, and was by then commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Werner Offermann from 13 January 1944.

German submarine <i>U-504</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-504 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 29 April 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 294, launched on 24 April 1941 and commissioned on 30 July 1941 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Hans-Georg Friedrich "Fritz" Poske. Initially attached to the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training, the U-boat was transferred to the 2nd flotilla on 1 January 1942 for front-line service. She was a member of six wolfpacks.

German submarine <i>U-125</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-125 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser as yard number 988 on 10 May 1940, launched on 10 December and commissioned on 3 March 1941. In seven patrols, she sank 17 ships for a total of 82,873 gross register tons (GRT). The boat was a member of three wolfpacks. She was sunk on 6 May 1943. All 54 men on board died.

German submarine <i>U-523</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-523 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 4 August 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 338. She was launched on 15 April 1942, and commissioned on 25 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Pietzsch. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea, the U-boat was transferred to the 10th flotilla for front-line service on 1 February 1943.

German submarine <i>U-519</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-519 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 23 June 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 334, launched on 12 February 1942 and commissioned on 7 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günter Eppen.

German submarine <i>U-510</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-510 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, which later served in the French Navy. The submarine was laid down on 1 November 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard at Hamburg as yard number 306, launched on 4 September 1941, and commissioned on 25 November 1941 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl Neitzel.

German submarine <i>U-157</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-157 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 October 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, launched on 5 June 1941, and commissioned on 15 September under the command of Korvettenkapitän Wolf Henne. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, U-157 was transferred to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 3 June 1942.

German submarine <i>U-506</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-506 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 July 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 296, launched on 20 June 1941 and commissioned on 15 September 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann.

German submarine <i>U-158</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-158 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-162</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-162 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-160</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-160 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. The keel for this boat was laid down on 21 November 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, Germany as yard number 1010. She was launched on 12 July 1941 and commissioned on 16 October under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg Lassen.

German submarine U-167 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 12 March 1941 by the Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG in Bremen as yard number 706. She was launched on 5 March 1942 and commissioned on 4 July with Kapitänleutnant Kurt Neubert in command.

German submarine U-170 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 21 May 1941 by the Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG in Bremen as yard number 709. She was launched on 6 June 1942 and commissioned on 19 January 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Günther Pfeffer in command.

German submarine <i>U-174</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-174 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-186 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 24 July 1941 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 1026. She was launched on 11 March 1942 and commissioned on 10 July with Korvettenkapitän Siegfried Hesemann in command.

German submarine <i>U-522</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-522 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-524</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-524 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-525 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II.

German submarine U-188 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II.

References

1 2 Kemp 1999, p. 157.
1 2 3 Gröner 1985, p. 68.
↑ Gröner 1991, p. 68.
↑ The Times Atlas of the World - Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN 0 7230 0809 4, p. 70
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-508". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-508". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

Bibliography

Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945[German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich (1985). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945 / 3, U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher (in German). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. OCLC 310610321.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

External links

Archived 4 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-508". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.

46°00′N7°30′W / 46.000°N 7.500°W / 46.000; -7.500

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999157-1] 1 2 Kemp 1999, p. 157.

[FOOTNOTEGröner198568-2] 1 2 3 Gröner 1985, p. 68.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199168-3] Gröner 1991, p. 68.

[4] The Times Atlas of the World - Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN 0 7230 0809 4, p. 70

[5] Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-508". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[6] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-508". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e German Type IXC submarine
U-66 U-67 U-68 U-125 U-126 U-127 U-128 U-129 U-130 U-131 U-153 U-154 U-155 U-156 U-157 U-158 U-159 U-160 U-161 U-162 U-163 U-164 U-165 U-166 U-171 U-172 U-173 U-174 U-175 U-176 U-501 U-502 U-503 U-504 U-505 U-506 U-507 U-508 U-509 U-510 U-511 U-512 U-513 U-514 U-515 U-516 U-517 U-518 U-519 U-520 U-521 U-522 U-523 U-524
Preceded by: Type IXB Followed by: Type IXC/40
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1943
Shipwrecks	1 Nov: Cha-13, U-405 2 Nov: USS Borie, Hatsukaze , Sendai , Storaa, U-340 , W-26 5 Nov: U-848 6 Nov: USS Beatty, U-226 , U-842 9 Nov: U-707 10 Nov: U-966 11 Nov: Suzunami 12 Nov: U-508 13 Nov: HMS Dulverton, I-34 16 Nov: USS Corvina, U-280 17 Nov: USS McKean 18 Nov: Empire Dunstan, U-718 19 Nov: USS Sculpin, U-211 20 Nov: USS Discoverer, U-536 , U-768 21 Nov: Empire Arthur, U-284 , U-538 22 Nov: HMS Hebe 23 Nov: I-35 24 Nov: Achéron, Aigle , FR 11 , USS Liscome Bay, Melville E. Stone, Naïade, Volta 25 Nov: I-19 , Makinami , Ōnami , Ro-100, Toa Maru , U-600 , U-849 , Yūgiri 26 Nov: I-39, Rohna 27 Nov: John P. Gaines 28 Nov: U-542 , Yamafuku Maru 29 Nov: I-21 , USS Perkins, U-86 Unknown date: USS Capelin, I-40, Ro-38, HMS Simoom, U-648
Other incidents	8 Nov: USS Albacore 9 Nov: Ro-113, Yamashiro 10 Nov: USS Albacore 14 Nov: USS Iowa, USS William D. Porter 15 Nov: HMS Quail 19 Nov: USS Nautilus, USS Ringgold 20 Nov: USS Rasher
1942 1943 1944 October 1943 December 1943

History
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
Nazi Germany
Name	U-508
Ordered	20 October 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	304
Laid down	24 September 1940
Launched	30 July 1941
Commissioned	20 October 1941
Fate	Sunk on 12 November 1943 in the Bay of Biscay by a US aircraft^[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC submarine
Displacement	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 20 October 1941 – 30 June 1942 10th U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1942 – 12 November 1943
Identification codes:	M 36 926
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Georg Staats 20 October 1941 – 12 November 1943
Operations:	6 patrols: 1st patrol: 25 June – 15 September 1942 2nd patrol: 17 October 1942 – 6 January 1943 3rd patrol: 22 February – 15 March 1943 4th patrol: 29 – 31 May 1943 5th patrol: a. 7 June – 14 September 1943 b. 1 – 3 November 1943 6th patrol: 9 – 12 November 1943
Victories:	14 merchant ships sunk (74,087 GRT)