German submarine U-707 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Ordered 6 August 1940, she was laid down 2 January 1941 and launched 18 December 1941. She had a relatively brief career from 1 July 1942 until 9 November 1943, and during this time she was commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Günther Gretschel.
Design German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-707 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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-707 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 one twin C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Patrol History During her career, U-707 sunk two ships, for a total tonnage of 11,811 GRT, namely the US freighter Jonathan Sturges, a straggler of convoy ON 166, and the British freighter North Britain also a straggler of convoy ONS 5.
Wolfpacks U-707 participated in nine wolfpacks, namely: Haudegen (26 January – 2 February 1943) Nordsturm (2 – 9 February 1943) Haudegen (9 – 15 February 1943) Taifun (15 – 20 February 1943) Specht (19 April – 4 May 1943) Fink (4 – 6 May 1943) Naab (12 – 15 May 1943) Donau 2 (15 – 26 May 1943) Schill (25 October – 9 November 1943)
Fate While on patrol east of the Azores, she was depth charged and sunk on 9 November 1943 from a RAF Fortress aircraft, from Sqdn. 220/J R.A.F, at position . She was lost with all hands; 51 dead.
Summary of raiding history DateShip NameNationalityTonnage (GRT)Fate24 February 1943Jonathan Sturges7,176Sunk5 May 1943North Britain4,635Sunk
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