U-boat Types

Type VIIC/42

None Built


The VIIC/42 was designed 1942-1943 and was intended to replace the then retreating VIIC, she had a much stronger pressure hull (with plating thickness up to 28mm) and a bit better offensive punch (16 torpedoes against VIIC's 14). Her diving depth was designed to be 200 meters with 400 meters as crushing depth (VIIC figures: 100/200 meters).

These boats would have been very similar in external appearance to the VIIC/41 but with two periscopes in the tower as type IX.

All contracts for the VIIC/42 U-boats were cancelled on 30 September 1943 in favour of the new Elektro Boat XXI.


Contracts were signed for 164 boats

U-boats Builder Werk number
U-699 - U-700* Howaldtswerke, Hamburg (Werk 849 - 850)
U-783 - U-790 Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven (Werk 168 - 175)
U-913 - U-918 H C Stülcken, Hamburg (Werk 810 - 815)
U-937 - U-942 AG Neptun, Rostock (Werk 529 - 534)
U-1069 - U-1080* Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (Werk 706 - 717)
U-1093 - U-1100* Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (Werk 732 - 739)
U-1115 - U-1120* Nordseewerke, Emden (Werk 237 - 242)
U-1147 - U-1152 Howaldtswerke, Kiel (Werk 49 - 54)
U-1215 - U-1220 F Schichau GmbH, Danzig (Werk 1610 - 1615)
U-1292 - U-1297 Vegesacker Werft, Vegesack (Werk 87 - 92)
U-1313 - U-1318 Flensburger Schiffsbau, Flensburg (Werk 509 - 514)
U-1339 - U-1350 Flender-Werke AG, Lübeck (Werk 359 - 370)
U-1423 - U-1434 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (Werk 273 - 284)
U-1440 - U-1463 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (Werk 290 - 313)
U-1805 - U-1822 Danziger Werft AG, Danzig (Werk 167 - 184)
U-1901 - U-1904 Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven (Werk 176 - 179)
U-2001 - U-2004 Howaldtswerke, Hamburg (Werk 851 - 854)
U-2101 - U-2104 Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (Werk 740 - 743)
U-2301 - U-2318 F Schichau GmbH, Danzig (Werk 1616 - 1633)

* A few boats under these orders had been laid down when they were cancelled but none was nearly advanced enough to be launched.

Technical information for type VIIC/42


Displacement:
(tons)
999 (sf)
1099 (sm)
1363 (total)
Length: (m) 68,70 oa
50,90 ph
Beam: (m) 6,85 oa
5,00 ph
Draught: (draft)5,00 m
Height:10,00 m
Power: (hp)4400 (sf)
750 (sm)
Speed:
(knots)
18,6 (sf)
7,6 (sm)
Range:
(miles / knots)
12600/10 (sf)
80/4 (sm)
Torpedoes:16
4/1 (bow / stern tubes)
Mines: 26 TMA
Deck gun: No deck gun
Crew: 44-52 men
Max depth: ca. 270 m
(886 feet)
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, ph = pressure hull,
oa = overall, hp = horsepower.