German submarine U-792

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-792
Ordered	19 June 1942
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	455
Laid down	1 December 1942
Launched	28 September 1943
Commissioned	16 November 1943
Fate	Scuttled on 4 May 1945
General characteristics
Class & type	Type XVIIA submarine
Displacement	277  t (273 long tons) surfaced 309 t (304 long tons) submerged 373 t (367 long tons) total
Length	39.05 m (128 ft 1 in) o/a 26.15 m (85 ft 10 in) pressure hull
Beam	4.50 m (14 ft 9 in) o/a 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in) pressure hull
Draught	4.30 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	1 × Deutz SAA SM517 supercharged 8-cylinder diesel engine, 210 PS (210 shp; 150 kW) 1 × AEG Maschine AWT98 electric motor, 77 PS (76 shp; 57 kW) 2 × Walter gas turbines, 5,000 PS (4,900 shp; 3,700 kW) 1 shaft
Speed	9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) surfaced 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged (electric drive) 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) submerged (HTP drive)
Range	2,910  nmi (5,390 km; 3,350 mi) at 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) surfaced 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged (electric drive) 127 nmi (235 km; 146 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) submerged (HTP drive)
Complement	12
Armament	2 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (bow) 4 × torpedoes
Service record
Part of	5th U-boat Flotilla 16 – 30 November 1943 8th U-boat Flotilla 1 December 1943 – 15 February 1945 5th U-boat Flotilla 16 February – 4 May 1945
Identification codes	M 52 456
Commanders	Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Horst Heitz 16 November 1943 – December 1944 Oblt.z.S. Hans Diederich Duis December 1944 – 4 May 1945
Operations	None
Victories	None

German submarine U-792 was a Type XVIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was one of a small number of U-boats fitted with Hellmuth Walter's high test peroxide propulsion system, which offered a combination of air-independent propulsion and high submerged speeds. She spent the war as a trials vessel and was scuttled on 4 May 1945 in the Audorfer See, near Rendsburg. ^[1]

Construction

The U-792 was laid down on 1 December 1942 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. She was launched on 28 September 1943 and commissioned on 16 November 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Horst Heitz. ^[1]

When she was completed, the submarine was 39.05 metres (128 ft 1 in) long overall, with a beam of 4.50 metres (14 ft 9 in) and a draught of 4.30 metres (14 ft 1 in). She was assessed at 309 t (304 long tons) submerged. The submarine was powered by one Deutz SAA SM517 supercharged 8-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine producing a total of 210 metric horsepower (150 kW; 210 shp) for use while surfaced and two Walter gas turbines producing a total of 5,000 metric horsepower (3,700 kW; 4,900 shp) for use while submerged. She had one shaft and one 1.23 m (4 ft) propeller. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) when submerged, the U-boat could operate for 127 nautical miles (235 km; 146 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) and when surfaced, she could travel 1.840 nautical miles (3.408 km; 2.117 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). ^[2]

The submarine was fitted with two 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (All fitted at the bow) and four torpedoes. The boat had a complement of 12 men. ^{[2] [3]}

Service History And End

U-792 did not undertake any combat patrols and was instead assigned as a trials boat at first to the 5th U-boat Flotilla, followed by the 8th U-boat Flotilla, before returning to the 5th flotilla for the rest of the war and was used in March 1945 as a floating fuel bunker. In December 1944, her commander was replaced by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Diederich Duis. ^[4]

The U-792 was scuttled on 4 May 1945 at 01:30 in the Audorfer See (Kaiser Wilhelm Canal), near Rendsburg during Operation Regenbogen. ^[1]

Wreck

The wreck of U-792 lay at 54°19′N09°43′E / 54.317°N 9.717°E / 54.317; 9.717 until 26 May 1945, when she was lifted by the British and taken to the Howaldtswerke in Kiel to be examined. She was first raised as a British prize and used for trials, but was soon torn down for parts and finally scrapped. ^[4]

References

1. Helgason, Guðmundur (1995). "U-792". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 80–81.
3. "U-792 (+1945)". wrecksite.eu. 29 November 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
4. Hofmann, Markus (21 September 2014). "U-792". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 8 April 2016.

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). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN   3-8132-0514-2.
• Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-593-4.