German submarine U-744 was a type VIIC U-boat, launched on 11 March 1943, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Blischke.
Design German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-744 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 AEG GU 460/8–27 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-744 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history She had two patrols, one from 2 December 1943 until 15 January 1944 and 24 February 1944 until 6 March 1944. She sank two ships in total, on 3 January 1944, and the landing ship tank HMS LST-362 on 2 March 1944.
U-744 was forced to surface on 6 March 1944, after a 31-hour pursuit by British and Canadian ships. She was depth-charged by , causing her crew to abandon her. They were picked up by the corvette , the Canadian frigate , corvettes and and destroyers HMCS Chaudiere and in the North Atlantic. U-744 was then boarded by Allied sailors, who retrieved code books and other documents. Most of this was lost while being transferred between the U-Boat and the Allied ships. After attempts to tow the submarine into port failed, U-744 was scuttled by the allied warships."U-744 is boarded" U Boat Archive http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-257-U-744Photos.htm
Wolfpacks U-744 took part in five wolfpacks, namely: Coronel 1 (15 – 17 December 1943) Sylt (18 – 23 December 1943) Rügen 2 (23 – 28 December 1943) Rügen 1 (28 December 1943 – 3 January 1944) Preussen (26 February – 6 March 1944)
Summary of raiding history Date Ship Name Nationality TonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement. Fate3 January 1944Empire Housman7,359Sunk2 March 1944HMS LST-3621,625Sunk
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