German submarine U-701

German submarine U-701 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on April 16, 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen, with a crew of 43.

In three operational patrols U-701 sank 5 ships, of 25,390 GRT and damaged 4 others for 37,093 GRT. She also sank 4 auxiliary warships and damaged a destroyer.

She was destroyed in an air attack on 7 July 1942 and rests at a depth of 115 ft at 35.23883°N, -75.1115°W.

Fate
U-701 was destroyed on 7 July 1942 off Cape Hatteras. While running on the surface U-701 was attacked by a Hudson of 396 Sqdn USAAF. She was hit by two bombs and sunk. 17 of her crew were able to escape, but were adrift for two days before being found and rescued by the US Coast Guard. By that time just 7 men had survived.

Final resting place
At 115 ft below the surface, U-701 is still intact, retaining its 88mm deck gun. Majority of the debris lies within 100 m radius of the wreck. This wreck has become an artificial reef that is heavily populated with Seriola dumerili.

The wreck of the U-701 was originally discovered by Uwe Lovas in the coastal waters off Cape Hatteras in 1989. The location of the wreck and the site remained a closely guarded secret and therefore undisturbed for 15 years. The U-701 represents a virtually intact, pristine wreck site and a unique opportunity to explore and experience an unspoiled U-boat within recreational diving depths on the East Coast of the United States.

Recently, the vessel’s location has been rediscovered and the coordinates have become accessible to the general public, who have already begun diving the site. An overwhelming majority of the local recreational and wreck diving community is deeply concerned about the potential for disturbance, damage and loss resulting from unauthorized salvage.