German submarine U-793 was a Type XVIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was one of a small number of U-boats fitted with Hellmuth Walter's high test peroxide propulsion system, which offered a combination of air-independent propulsion and high submerged speeds. She spent the war as a trials vessel and was scuttled on 4 May 1945 in the Audorfer See, near Rendsburg.[1]
The U-793 was laid down on 1 December 1942 at the Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, as yard number 456. She was launched on 4 March 1944 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Günther Schauenburg on 24 April 1944.
When she was completed, the submarine was 39.05m (128.12feet) long overall, with a beam of 4.5m (14.8feet) and a draught of 4.3m (14.1feet). She was assessed at 3090NaN0 submerged. The submarine was powered by one Deutz SAA 8M517 supercharged 8-cylinder diesel engine producing a total of 210- for use while surfaced and one Walter gas turbines producing a total of 2500PS for use while submerged. She had one shaft and one propeller. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of using the HTP drive. When submerged, the U-boat could operate for at on her HTP system and when surfaced, she could travel at .[2]
The submarine was fitted with two 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (All fitted at the bow) and four torpedoes. The boat had a complement of 12 men.
U-793 did not undertake any war patrols and was instead assigned as a trials boat at first to the 8th U-boat Flotilla, followed by the 5th U-boat Flotilla.[1]
The U-793 was scuttled on 4 May 1945 at 1.30am in the Audorfer See (Kaiser Wilhelm Canal), near Rendsburg during Operation Regenbogen.[1]
The wreck of U-793 lay at 54.3167°N 52°W until 26 May 1945, when she was lifted by the British and taken to the Howaldtswerke in Kiel to be examined. She was first raised as a British prize and used for trials, but was soon torn down for parts and finally scrapped.[3]