Unterseeboot 718
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| U-718 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | VIIC
|
||
| Launch Date | March 26, 1943 | ||
| Commission Date | June 25, 1943 | ||
| Construction yard | Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg | ||
| Patrols | |||
| Start Date | End Date | Assigned Unit | |
| No Patrols | 8th Flotilla | ||
| Commanders | |||
| January, 1944 | June, 1944 | Kptlt. Helmut Wieduwilt | |
| Successes | |||
| Type of Ship Sunk | Number of Ships Sunk | Gross Registered Tonnage | |
| Commercial Vessels | None | 0 | |
| Military Vessels | None | 0 | |
Unterseeboot 718 (usually abbreviated to U-718) was a short-lived German U-boat built during World War II. U-718 was the victim of a tragic accident during training exercises five months after completion, and thus never saw active service in the Kriegsmarine. Built at Hamburg during 1942 and 1943 and taking a year to complete, U-718 was a type VII submarine and was intended for service in the Second Battle of the Atlantic.
On the 18 November 1943, U-718 was conducting training as part of a "Wolfpack" near Bornholm in the Baltic Sea under Kptlt Helmut Wieduwilt, when she was accidentally rammed during by U-476. The submarines had been maneuvering to attack the same target in the dark, and U-479 ran aboard U-718 whilst the submarines were running on the surface. U-718's hatch was closed to prevent water entering the hull, and thus only the seven personnel in the conning tower, including Kptlt Wieduwilt, survived. The boat's hull was ruptured by the force of the impact, causing the submarine to fill and sink very rapidly, taking 43 sailors to the bottom with her. The survivors were rescued from the water by other German naval units and transferred to other boats.
[edit] References
- Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
- U-boat.net webpage for U-718
See Also: List of U-boats
