AH-WR-1877

U-701

Type VIIC U-Boat · Germany · Lost 1942 · The Outer Banks

The first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Army Air Forces off the East Coast, in 1942 east of Cape Hatteras.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

U-701 was a German Type VIIC U-boat built at Hamburg in 1940. Off the Outer Banks in 1942 she sank several vessels, including YP-389 and William Rockefeller. On July 7, 1942 she was sunk by a U.S. Army Air Forces Hudson bomber, the first U-boat sunk by that service off the East Coast. Seven of 46 aboard survived.

Vessel

Built: 1940
Builder: H.C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 220 ft
Beam: 20 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Diesel-electric
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: July 7, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 20 miles east of Cape Hatteras
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 46
Lives lost: 39
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 120 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; war grave

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

Precise wreck position not taken into this record.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

Precise position is not taken into this record.

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Particulars, loss date, attacker and survivors. Site depth and protected status.