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 17 August 1945 at Mar del Plata, Argentina
Fate:	Sunk by torpedo from USS Atule during torpedo trials, 13 November 1946
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type VIIC U-boat
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) various AA guns

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 many legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that together with U-530 it had transported escaping Nazi leaders (including Hitler himself) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a 66-day passage without surfacing, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, or even that it would be involved in the sinking of Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic.

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

U-977 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).