German submarine U-507

U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-507
Ordered	20 October 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	303
Laid down	11 September 1940
Launched	15 July 1941
Commissioned	8 October 1941
Fate	Sunk by aircraft on 13 January 1943[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC submarine
Displacement	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record[2][3]
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 8 October 1941 – 28 February 1942 2nd U-boat Flotilla 1 March 1942 – 13 January 1943
Identification codes:	M 19 192
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Harro Schacht 8 October 1941 – 13 January 1943
Operations:	4 patrols: 1st patrol: 12 – 25 March 1942 2nd patrol: 4 April – 4 June 1942 3rd patrol: 4 July – 12 October 1942 4th patrol: a. 24 – 26 November 1942 b. 28 November 1942 – 13 January 1943
Victories:	19 merchant ships sunk (77,143 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (6,561 GRT)

German submarine U-507 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service in the Second World War and the Battle of the Atlantic. She was mainly notable for two patrols she conducted during the "Second Happy Time" in mid-1942, during the first of which she caused havoc in the Gulf of Mexico amongst unprotected American shipping, and then in the second she attacked ships along the coast of Brazil, in an inexplicable and shocking attack on a neutral nation's shipping in its own waters which almost single-handedly provoked the Brazilian declaration of war on Germany.

The U-boat was built during 1941 by the Deutsche Werft shipyards in Hamburg, and commissioned on 8 October 1941, with Korvettenkapitän Harro Schacht in command. Schacht commanded the boat for its entire lifespan, receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 January 1943 in recognition of his successful patrols in the preceding year. He never wore his award however, as he was killed with his entire crew when the boat was sunk four days later.^[4]