The First Viic Boat: What Was Its Name?

The first VIIC boat was the U-93, commissioned in 1940. It was the workhorse of the German U-boat force, with 568 commissioned from 1940 to 1945. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine, and was seen almost everywhere U-boats operated, although its range of only 8,500 nautical miles was not as great as that of the larger Type IX (11,000 nautical miles). The VIIC came into service towards the end of the First Happy Time near the beginning of the war and was still the most numerous type in service when Allied anti-submarine efforts finally defeated the U-boat campaign in late 1943 and 1944.

The first VIIC boat was the U-93, commissioned in 1940

The Type VIIC was a modified version of the Type VIIB U-boat, with the same engine layout and power but a slightly larger and heavier design. This made the VIIC boats not quite as fast as the VIIB. They were equipped with five torpedo tubes, four at the bow and one at the stern. The VIIC U-boats were the most widely produced type of U-boat, with 704 built by the end of World War II.

The VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force during the war, operating in almost all areas where U-boats were deployed. They were effective fighting machines, although their range of 8,500 nautical miles was not as great as that of the larger Type IX U-boats. The VIIC came into service towards the end of the "First Happy Time" at the beginning of the war and faced the final defeat to the Allied anti-submarine campaign in 1943-1944.

The most famous VIIC boat was the U-96, featured in the movie "Das Boot".

VIIC boats were used by Germany in World War II

VIIC boats, also known as U-boats, were used by Germany in World War II. The first VIIC boat commissioned was the U-93 in 1940. U-boats were Germany's only weapon of advantage as Britain effectively blocked German ports to supplies. The goal was to starve Britain before the British blockade defeated Germany.

U-boats were highly effective. They would remain submerged until they found a target, then surface and advise the crew to abandon ship. They were armed with torpedoes, though these were expensive and so were only used when absolutely necessary. U-boats were also equipped with deck guns.

The Type VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force, with 568 commissioned from 1940 to 1945. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was seen almost everywhere U-boats operated, although its range of only 8,500 nautical miles was not as great as that of the larger Type IX (11,000 nautical miles). The VIIC came into service towards the end of the "First Happy Time" near the beginning of the war and was still the most numerous type in service when Allied anti-submarine efforts finally defeated the U-boat campaign in late 1943 and 1944.

The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to World War I. They were the most widely used U-boats of the war and were the most-produced submarine class in history, with 704 built. They were also the most common type of German World War II U-boat.

The Type VII submarines had several modifications. The Type VIIA U-boats were designed in 1933-34 as the first series of a new generation of attack U-boats. They were generally popular with their crews because of their fast crash dive speed, which was thought to give them more protection from enemy attacks than bigger, more sluggish types. They were more heavily armed than the smaller Type II U-boats they replaced, with four bow and one external stern torpedo tubes.

The Type VIIB had an additional 33 tonnes of fuel in external saddle tanks, which added another 2,500 nautical miles of range. The Type VIIC/41 was a slightly modified version of the VIIC and had the same armament and engines. The difference was a stronger pressure hull giving them a deeper crush depth and lighter machinery to compensate for the added steel in the hull, making them slightly lighter than the VIIC.

The Type VIID boats were a lengthened version of the VIIC for use as a minelayer. The Type VIIF boats were designed in 1941 as supply boats to rearm U-boats at sea once they had used up their torpedoes. They were the largest and heaviest type VII boats built.

VIIC boats were effective fighting machines

The first VIIC boat commissioned was the U-93 in 1940. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was seen in almost all areas where the U-boat force operated.

The VIIC was based on earlier German submarine designs, including the World War I Type UB III and the cancelled Type UG. The Type UG was designed through a Dutch dummy company to circumvent the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles. The Type VII design also drew on the Finnish Vetehinen class and Spanish Type E-1.

The VIIC was a slightly modified version of the successful Type VIIB boats. They had basically the same engine layout and power, but were slightly larger and heavier, which made them not quite as fast as the VIIB. They were equipped with five torpedo tubes (four at the bow and one at the stern). The VIIC differed from the VIIB only in the addition of an active sonar and a few minor mechanical improvements, making them two feet longer and eight tons heavier.

The VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force in World War Two from 1941 onwards, and boats of this type were being built throughout the war. The VIIC came into service as the "Happy Days" were almost over and it was this boat that faced the final defeat to the Allied anti-submarine campaign in late 1943 and 1944. The VIIC's range of 8,500 nautical miles was not as great as that of the larger Type IX (11,000 nautical miles), severely limiting the time it could spend in the far reaches of the western and southern Atlantic without refuelling.

The VIIC was generally popular with its crews because of its fast crash dive speed, which was thought to give them more protection from enemy attacks than bigger, more sluggish types. The smaller boat's lower endurance also meant patrols were shorter. They were more heavily armed than the smaller Type II U-boats they replaced, with four bow and one external stern torpedo tubes. Usually carrying 11 torpedoes on board, they were very agile on the surface and mounted an 8.8-centimetre (3.5-inch) quick-firing deck gun with about 220 rounds.

VIIC boats were used almost everywhere U-boats operated

The Type VIIC U-boat was the workhorse of the German U-boat force during World War Two. 568 VIIC U-boats were commissioned from 1940 to 1945, with the first being the U-93 in 1940. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was used almost everywhere U-boats operated.

The Type VIIC was a modified version of the earlier Type VIIB U-boat. It was slightly larger and heavier, with an active sonar and a few minor mechanical improvements. These changes made the VIIC 2 feet longer and 8 tons heavier than the VIIB. The VIIC was powered by two supercharged Germaniawerft, 6-cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels, totalling 2,800 to 3,200 PS. It had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h).

The VIIC had a range of 8,500 nautical miles, which was not as great as that of the larger Type IX U-boats (11,000 nautical miles). This limited the time the VIIC could spend in the far reaches of the western and southern Atlantic without refuelling. Despite this, the VIIC was still the most numerous type in service when the Allied anti-submarine campaign defeated the U-boat campaign in late 1943 and 1944.

The VIIC was equipped with 5 torpedo tubes: 4 at the bow and 1 at the stern. However, some boats had only 2 bow tubes (U-72, U-78, U-80, U-554, and U-555), and some had no stern tube (U-203, U-331, U-351, U-401, U-431, and U-651). Many of these boats were fitted with snorkels in 1944 and 1945.

The VIIC came into service towards the end of the "First Happy Time" at the beginning of the war. This was a period when U-boats had tremendous stealth and could remain submerged until finding a target. They would then surface, advise the crew to abandon ship, and then bring it down with deck guns or explosives. The VIIC faced the final defeat to the Allied anti-submarine campaign in late 1943 and 1944.

Perhaps the most famous VIIC boat was the U-96, featured in the movie Das Boot.

VIIC boats were involved in the Battle of the Atlantic

The VIIC boats were a modified version of the successful VIIB boats. They were slightly larger and heavier, which made them not quite as fast as the VIIB. The VIIC boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat and were the most produced submarine class in history, with 704 built. They were the most numerous U-boat type to be involved in the Battle of the Atlantic.

The first VIIC boat commissioned was the U-93 in 1940. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was seen almost everywhere U-boats operated, although its range of only 8,500 nautical miles was not as great as that of the larger Type IX (11,000 nautical miles). The VIIC came into service towards the end of the "First Happy Time" near the beginning of the war and was still the most numerous type in service when Allied anti-submarine efforts finally defeated the U-boat campaign in late 1943 and 1944.

The VIIC differed from the VIIB only in the addition of an active sonar and a few minor mechanical improvements, making them 2 feet longer and 8 tons heavier. Speed and range were essentially the same. Many of these boats were fitted with snorkels in 1944 and 1945.

The VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force, with 568 commissioned from 1940 to 1945. They had five torpedo tubes (four at the bow and one at the stern) installed in all but the following boats: U-72, U-78, U-80, U-554, and U-555, which had only two bow tubes; and U-203, U-331, U-351, U-401, U-431, and U-651, which had no stern tube.

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade. The campaign peaked from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943.

The Battle of the Atlantic pitted U-boats and other warships of the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) and aircraft of the Luftwaffe (Air Force) against the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, United States Navy, and Allied merchant shipping. Convoys, coming mainly from North America and predominantly going to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, were protected for the most part by the British and Canadian navies and air forces. These forces were aided by ships and aircraft of the United States beginning on September 13, 1941.

The Battle of the Atlantic involved a tonnage war; the Allied struggle to supply Britain, and the Axis attempt to stem the flow of merchant shipping that enabled Britain to keep fighting. Britain required more than a million tons of imported material per week in order to survive and fight. As an island country, the United Kingdom was highly dependent on imported goods.

The outcome of the battle was a strategic victory for the Allies—the German tonnage war failed—but at great cost: 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships were sunk in the Atlantic for the loss of 783 U-boats and 47 German surface warships, including 4 battleships, 9 cruisers, 7 raiders, and 27 destroyers.

The ultimate cost of victory in this vast area of operations was sobering: between 1939 and 1945, 3,500 Allied merchant ships (14.5 million gross tons) and 175 Allied warships were sunk, and 72,200 Allied naval and merchant seamen lost their lives. The Germans lost 783 U-boats and approximately 30,000 sailors, three-quarters of Germany's 40,000-man submarine force.

Frequently asked questions