German submarine U-977

	U-977 moored at Mar del Plata naval base
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-977
Ordered	5 June 1941
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	177
Laid down	24 July 1942
Launched	31 March 1943
Commissioned	6 May 1943
Captured	Surrendered to Argentine Navy on 17 August 1945 at Mar del Plata, Argentina
Fate	Sunk by torpedo from USS Atule during torpedo trials on 13 November 1946
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220.1 ft) o/a; 50.50 m (165.7 ft) pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20.3 ft) o/a; 4.70 m (15.4 ft) pressure hull;
Draught	4.74 m (15.6 ft)
Propulsion	Surfaced: 3,200 PS (2,400 kW; 3,200 bhp); Submerged: 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp);
Speed	Surfaced 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph); submerged 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph);
Range	Surfaced: 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged: 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph);
Test depth	Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds); 1 × twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla; 6 May – 30 September 1943; 21st U-boat Flotilla; 1 October 1943 – 28 February 1945; 31st U-boat Flotilla; 1 March – 8 May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 51 994
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hans Leilich; 6 May 1943 – March 1945; Oblt.z.S. Heinz Schäffer; March – 17 August 1945;
Operations:	1 patrol:; 2 May – 17 August 1945;
Victories:	None

German submarine U-977 was a World War II Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine which escaped to Argentina after Germany's surrender. The submarine's voyage to Argentina led to legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that it and U-530 had transported escaping Nazi leaders (such as Adolf Hitler) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, and even that it sank the Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic.^[1]^[2]

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines.

U-977 was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines while surfaced and two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers.

U-977 had a complement of between 44 and 60 men.^[3]

Flak gun

U-977 mounted a single 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M42U gun on the rare LM 43U mount. The LM 43U mount was the final design of mount used on U-boats and is only known to be installed on (U-249, U-826, U-1023, U-1171, U-1305 and U-1306).^{[citation needed]} The 3.7 cm Flak M42U was the marine version of the 3.7 cm Flak, used by the Kriegsmarine on Type VII and Type IX U-boats.

The single 3.7 cm Flak M42U gun on the LM 43U mount.

Service history

U-977 was launched on 31 March 1943. She was used in training and made no war patrols during her first two years of service. On 2 May 1945 she was sent on her first war patrol, sailing from Kristiansand, Norway, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Schäffer (1921–1979). Schäffer's orders were to enter the British port of Southampton and sink any shipping there. This would have been a very dangerous assignment for a Type VII boat. When Admiral Dönitz ordered all attack submarines to stand down on 5 May 1945, U-977 was outbound north of Scotland.

Voyage to Argentina

Oblt.z.S. Schäffer decided to sail to Argentina rather than surrender. During later interrogation, Schäffer said his main reason was a German propaganda broadcast by Goebbels, which claimed that the Allies' Morgenthau Plan would turn Germany into a "goat pasture" and that all German men would be "enslaved and sterilized".^{[citation needed]} Other factors were remembrances of the poor conditions and long delays that German POWs suffered through, in being repatriated at the end of World War I (some being subjected to forced labor), and the hope of better living conditions in Argentina, which had a large German community.

Schäffer offered the married crewmen the option of going ashore in Europe. Sixteen chose to do so and were landed from dinghies on Holsnøy island near Bergen on 10 May.^{[citation needed]}

U-977 then sailed to Argentina. Schäffer's version of the voyage states that from 10 May to 14 July 1945 she made a continuous submerged Schnorchel passage, "at 66 days the second longest in the war [sic - Germany had surrendered] (after U-978's 68 days)".

The U.S. Navy (USN) interrogated the crew and issued a report on 19 September 1945.^[4] The report does not mention a 66-day submerged voyage, but states that U-977 "made for the Iceland Passage on course 300° [that is, northwest by west] diving once on sighting a plane and once on sighting a ship; she was also DF'd many times late in May". (This could also mean traveling at snorkel depth and then diving on contact; possible translation errors during interrogations.)

According to the Navy report, the submarine stopped in the Cape Verde Islands for a short break, then completed the trip traveling on the surface using one engine. Crossing the equator on 23 July, she arrived in Mar del Plata, Argentina on 17 August after 99 days at sea from Bergen and a voyage of 14,157 km (7,644 nmi, 8,797 mi). These points agree with Schäffer's report that he stopped at Cape Verde Islands for a short break and crossed the equator on 23 or 24 July 1945.

Schäffer said that, after the short Cape Verde break, they completed the rest of the trip to Mar del Plata alternately on the surface and submerged.^[5]

After surrendering to the Argentine authorities, as had happened to the crew of U-530, they were extradited to the US where they responded to the charge of having torpedoed the cruiser Bahia, and then to the UK, where they faced accusations that they had landed Nazi leaders in Argentina before surrendering. Schäffer was released in 1947. U-977 like U-530 was seized by the US Navy, and sunk during naval firing exercises, in its case in 1946, when it was used as a target.^[6]

In the arts

Schäffer later wrote a book: U-977 – 66 Tage unter Wasser ("U-977 – 66 Days Under Water"), the first postwar memoir by a former U-boat officer. It was published in 1952, and was translated into English under the title U-Boat 977.

A documentary film U-977 - 66 Days Under Water directed by Nadine Poulain, Schäffer's granddaughter, was in the final stages of production in 2014.

References

^ Salinas & De Nápoli , 2002.
^ Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.
^ Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
^ Office of Naval Intelligence (19 September 1945). "Report on the Interrogation of Prisoners from U-977 (File Op-16-2)". U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 29 March 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
^ Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.
^ Kittel & Graf, 2015. p.93.

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). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; 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.
Juan Salinas & Carlos De Nápoli (2002) Ultramar Sur: la última operación secreta del Tercer Reich ("South Overseas: the last secret operation of Third Reich") (in Spanish) Grupo Editorial Norma ISBN 9789875450752
Kittel & Graf (2015) The History of U-Boot Edizione R.E.I. ISBN 9782372971768
Paterson, Lawrence (2009) Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces on Land and at Sea Seaforth Publishing ISBN 9781848320376
Schäffer, Heinz (2006). El Secreto del U-977. Buenos Aires: Editorial Hisma. ISBN 987-22996-0-9.
Schäffer, Heinz, Leonce Peillard Der U-Boot-Krieg 1999 ISBN 3-453-14825-8 (In German)
Schäffer, Heinz, U-Boat 977: The U-Boat That Escaped to Argentina 2005 ISBN 1-84145-027-8 (First published in Germany in 1952 as U-977 – 66 Tage unter Wasser)

External links

"Books: Go In & Sink". Time. 23 February 1953. Review of the book U-BOAT 977.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-977". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 977". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 29 December 2014.
German U-Boats in Argentina 1945 - U-977 on YouTube (Mark Felton Productions)

[1] Salinas & De Nápoli , 2002.

[2] Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199143–46-3] Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.

[4] Office of Naval Intelligence (19 September 1945). "Report on the Interrogation of Prisoners from U-977 (File Op-16-2)". U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 29 March 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.

[5] Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.

[6] Kittel & Graf, 2015. p.93.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Latin America during World War II
Events	Seguro Obrero massacre St. Louis Affair Panama Conference Battle of the Atlantic Battle of the River Plate Havana Conference Battle of the Caribbean Sinking of the Toltén Operation Bolivar Revolution of '43 Operation Pelikan Brazilian Expeditionary Force
Histories	Argentina Bolivia Colombia Cuba El Salvador Mexico Paraguay Puerto Ricans Uruguay Venezuela
People	Juan José de Amézaga Isaías Medina Angarita Jerónimo Méndez Arancibia Alfredo Baldomir Fulgencio Batista Federico Laredo Brú Manuel Ávila Camacho Alberto Lleras Camargo Samuel del Campo Lázaro Cárdenas Ramón Castillo Pedro Aguirre Cerda Manuel de Jesús Troncoso de la Concha José Castellanos Contreras Eleazar López Contreras Andrés Córdova Margot Duhalde Glen Edgar Edgerton José Félix Estigarribia Edelmiro Julián Farrell Ramón Grau Henry Harwood José María Velasco Ibarra Hans Langsdorff William D. Leahy Élie Lescot George Mantello Maximiliano Hernández Martínez José Toribio Merino María Edwards McClure Eduardo Santos Montejo Juan Antonio Ríos Morales Higinio Moríñigo Julio Enrique Moreno Aurelio Mosquera Enrique Peñaranda Jacinto Peynado Dusko Popov Alfonso López Pumarejo Carlos Quintanilla Pedro Pablo Ramírez Clarence S. Ridley Carlos Alberto Arroyo del Río Arturo Rawson Rafael Trujillo Rexford Guy Tugwell Manuel Prado y Ugarteche Getúlio Dornelles Vargas Gualberto Villarroel Sténio Vincent
See also	American Theater Falangism in Latin America History of Ecuador (1925–1944) History of Peru History of the Dominican Republic History of Mar del Plata Infamous Decade Inter-American Highway Latin American Section National Socialist Movement of Chile ODESSA Panama Sea Frontier Presidential Republic (1925–1973) Ratlines (World War II) SCADTA Southeast Pacific Area Spain during World War II U-530 U-977 Vargas Era

v t e Type VII submarines
Type VIIA	U-27 U-28 U-29 U-30 U-31 U-32 U-33 U-34 U-35 U-36
Type VIIB	U-45 U-46 U-47 U-48 U-49 U-50 U-51 U-52 U-53 U-54 U-55 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-83 U-84 U-85 U-86 U-87 U-99 U-100 U-101 U-102
Type VIIC	U-69 U-70 U-71 U-72 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80 U-81 U-82 U-88 U-89 U-90 U-91 U-92 U-93 U-94 U-95 U-96 U-97 U-98 U-132 U-133 U-134 U-135 U-136 U-201 U-202 U-203 U-204 U-205 U-206 U-207 U-208 U-209 U-210 U-211 U-212 U-221 U-222 U-223 U-224 U-225 U-226 U-227 U-228 U-229 U-230 U-231 U-232 U-235 U-236 U-237 U-238 U-239 U-240 U-241 U-242 U-243 U-244 U-245 U-246 U-247 U-248 U-249 U-250 U-251 U-252 U-253 U-254 U-255 U-256 U-257 U-258 U-259 U-260 U-261 U-262 U-263 U-264 U-265 U-266 U-267 U-268 U-269 U-270 U-271 U-272 U-273 U-274 U-275 U-276 U-277 U-278 U-279 U-280 U-281 U-282 U-283 U-284 U-285 U-286 U-287 U-288 U-289 U-290 U-291 U-301 U-302 U-303 U-304 U-305 U-306 U-307 U-308 U-309 U-310 U-311 U-312 U-313 U-314 U-315 U-316 U-331 U-332 U-333 U-334 U-335 U-336 U-337 U-338 U-339 U-340 U-341 U-342 U-343 U-344 U-345 U-346 U-347 U-348 U-349 U-350 U-351 U-352 U-353 U-354 U-355 U-356 U-357 U-358 U-359 U-360 U-361 U-362 U-363 U-364 U-365 U-366 U-367 U-368 U-369 U-370 U-371 U-372 U-373 U-374 U-375 U-376 U-377 U-378 U-379 U-380 U-381 U-382 U-383 U-384 U-385 U-386 U-387 U-388 U-389 U-390 U-391 U-392 U-393 U-394 U-396 U-397 U-398 U-399 U-400 U-401 U-402 U-403 U-404 U-405 U-406 U-407 U-408 U-409 U-410 U-411 U-412 U-413 U-414 U-415 U-416 U-417 U-418 U-419 U-420 U-421 U-422 U-423 U-424 U-425 U-426 U-427 U-428 U-429 U-430 U-431 U-432 U-433 U-434 U-435 U-436 U-437 U-438 U-439 U-440 U-441 U-442 U-443 U-444 U-445 U-446 U-447 U-448 U-449 U-450 U-451 U-452 U-453 U-454 U-455 U-456 U-457 U-458 U-465 U-466 U-467 U-468 U-469 U-470 U-471 U-472 U-473 U-475 U-476 U-477 U-478 U-479 U-480 U-481 U-482 U-483 U-484 U-485 U-486 U-551 U-552 U-553 U-554 U-555 U-556 U-557 U-558 U-559 U-560 U-561 U-562 U-563 U-564 U-565 U-566 U-567 U-568 U-569 U-570 U-571 U-572 U-573 U-574 U-575 U-576 U-577 U-578 U-579 U-580 U-581 U-582 U-583 U-584 U-585 U-586 U-587 U-588 U-589 U-590 U-591 U-592 U-593 U-594 U-595 U-596 U-597 U-598 U-599 U-600 U-601 U-602 U-603 U-604 U-605 U-606 U-607 U-608 U-609 U-610 U-611 U-612 U-613 U-614 U-615 U-616 U-617 U-618 U-619 U-620 U-621 U-622 U-623 U-624 U-625 U-626 U-627 U-628 U-629 U-630 U-631 U-632 U-633 U-634 U-635 U-636 U-637 U-638 U-639 U-640 U-641 U-642 U-643 U-644 U-645 U-646 U-647 U-648 U-649 U-650 U-651 U-652 U-653 U-654 U-655 U-656 U-657 U-658 U-659 U-660 U-661 U-662 U-663 U-664 U-665 U-666 U-667 U-668 U-669 U-670 U-671 U-672 U-673 U-674 U-675 U-676 U-677 U-678 U-679 U-680 U-681 U-682 U-683 U-701 U-702 U-703 U-704 U-705 U-706 U-707 U-708 U-709 U-710 U-711 U-712 U-713 U-714 U-715 U-716 U-717 U-718 U-719 U-720 U-721 U-722 U-731 U-732 U-733 U-734 U-735 U-736 U-737 U-738 U-739 U-740 U-741 U-742 U-743 U-744 U-745 U-746 U-747 U-748 U-749 U-750 U-751 U-752 U-753 U-754 U-755 U-756 U-757 U-758 U-759 U-760 U-761 U-762 U-763 U-764 U-765 U-766 U-767 U-768 U-771 U-772 U-773 U-774 U-775 U-776 U-777 U-778 U-779 U-821 U-822 U-825 U-826 U-901 U-903 U-904 U-905 U-907 U-921 U-922 U-923 U-924 U-925 U-926 U-927 U-928 U-951 U-952 U-953 U-954 U-955 U-956 U-957 U-958 U-959 U-960 U-961 U-962 U-963 U-964 U-965 U-966 U-967 U-968 U-969 U-970 U-971 U-972 U-973 U-974 U-975 U-976 U-977 U-978 U-979 U-980 U-981 U-982 U-983 U-984 U-985 U-986 U-987 U-988 U-989 U-990 U-991 U-992 U-993 U-994 U-1051 U-1052 U-1053 U-1054 U-1055 U-1056 U-1057 U-1058 U-1101 U-1102 U-1131 U-1132 U-1161 U-1162 U-1191 U-1192 U-1193 U-1194 U-1195 U-1196 U-1197 U-1198 U-1199 U-1200 U-1201 U-1202 U-1203 U-1204 U-1205 U-1206 U-1207 U-1208 U-1209 U-1210
Type VIIC/41	U-292 U-293 U-294 U-295 U-296 U-297 U-298 U-299 U-300 U-317 U-318 U-319 U-320 U-321 U-322 U-323 U-324 U-325 U-326 U-327 U-328 U-691 U-827 U-828 U-929 U-930 U-995 U-997 U-998 U-999 U-1000 U-1001 U-1002 U-1003 U-1004 U-1005 U-1006 U-1007 U-1008 U-1009 U-1010 U-1011 U-1013 U-1014 U-1015 U-1016 U-1017 U-1018 U-1019 U-1020 U-1021 U-1022 U-1023 U-1024 U-1025 U-1063 U-1064 U-1065 U-1103 U-1104 U-1105 U-1106 U-1107 U-1108 U-1109 U-1110 U-1163 U-1164 U-1165 U-1166 U-1167 U-1168 U-1169 U-1170 U-1171 U-1172 U-1271 U-1272 U-1273 U-1274 U-1275 U-1276 U-1277 U-1278 U-1279 U-1301 U-1302 U-1303 U-1304 U-1305 U-1306 U-1307 U-1308
Type VIID	U-213 U-214 U-215 U-216 U-217 U-218
Type VIIF	U-1059 U-1060 U-1061 U-1062
Preceded by: Type II Followed by: Type IX List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1946
Shipwrecks	1 Jan: USS Dorsey 2 Jan: U-516, U-2502 3 Jan: Empire Tigachi, U-825, U-2336, U-2351 5 Jan: U-541, U-901, U-2506 6 Jan: U-1109, U-2356 7 Jan: U-1010, U-1023, U-2511 8 Jan: HMS Safari 14 Jan: USS Snowbell, USS Southard 28 Jan: Bluenose 30 Jan: Luray Victory January (unknown date): Akagi Maru 2 Feb: U-764 3 Feb: I-505 5 Feb: U-1228 10 Feb: U-975 12 Feb: I-501, U-3514 14 Feb: Fulham VII 15 Feb: I-502, I-506 February (unknown date): U-1197 1 Mar: Sackett's Harbor 4 Mar: USS Extricate 6 Mar: George W. Norris 11 Mar: USS Roche 16 Mar: Karl Leonhardt 26 Mar: Z34 27 Mar: HM LST-405 1 Apr: Charles S. Haight, Ha-103, Ha-105, Ha-106, Ha-107, Ha-108, Ha-109, Ha-111, Ha-201, Ha-202, Ha-203, Ha-208, I-36, I-47, I-53, I-58, I-156, I-157, I-158, I-159, I-162, I-366, I-367, I-402, Ro-50 4 Apr: USS S-35 5 Apr: Ha-207, Ha-210, Ha-216, I-202, Ro-31 8 Apr: USS Despatch 9 Apr: Empire Bridge 16 Apr: I-503, I-504 21 Apr: Empire Christopher 24 Apr: Alfios 30 Apr: Georgetown Victory, I-121, Ro-68, Ro-500, USS Solar, HMS Stubborn, HMAS Tolga 1 May: HMS Tarantula 8 May: I-153, I-154, I-155 9 May: Ha-205 14 May: USS Bellona 21 May: I-203 23 May: I-201 24 May: DD-224 (ex-USS Stewart) 28 May: I-14 31 May: I-401 May (unknown date): Ro-62, Ro-63 4 Jun: I-400, Kunashiri 7 Jun: Kamikaze 8 Jun: Myōkō 9 Jun: USS Solar 1 Jul: USS Anderson, USS Carlisle, USS Gilliam, USS Lamson, Sakawa 25 Jul: USS Apogon, USS Arkansas, USS LSM-60, USS Pilotfish, USS Saratoga, USS Skipjack 30 Jul: Nagato 2 Aug: Empire Cross August (unknown date): I-372 19 Sep: Ohio 16 Oct: Cassius Hudson 17 Oct: HMAS Waree 19 Oct: Takao 13 Nov: U-977 20 Nov: Albany 27 Nov: Laksnes 2 Dec: HMCS Middlesex 6 Dec: N35 8 Dec: Liberté, HMS Saltburn 16 Dec: Leipzig, Z29 22 Dec: Prinz Eugen 24 Dec: Northeastern Victory 26 Dec: Brigadier General M. G. Zalinski 31 Dec: Monte Pascoal, Schwabenland Unknown date: Claus Von Bevern, HMS Truant, Yu 1007
Other incidents	26 Jan: I-201 29 Jan: I-203 10 Feb: HMS Saga 14 Feb: Alfred Victory 3 Mar: Orphée 17 Apr: USS Wasp 8 May: HMS Orion (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Superb (Corfu Channel incident) 15 May: HMS Diomede 1 Jul: Prinz Eugen 25 Jul: Nagato, Prinz Eugen Jul: Patrick Henry 24 Sep RFA Green Ranger 22 Oct: HMS Mauritius, (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Leander ;(Corfu Channel incident), HMS Saumarez (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Volage (Corfu Channel incident) 12 Nov: HMS Ocean (Corfu Channel incident) 8 Dec: Empire Eden 6 Dec: Niels Poulson Unknown date: Brown Bear, I-201, I-203
1945 1947 December 1945