German submarine U-1276 was a Type VIIC/41

German Type VII submarine

Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...

 U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

 of the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

. Bremer Vulkan

Bremer Vulkan

Bremer Vulkan AG was a great German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement....

 of Bremen-Vegesack

Bremen-Vegesack

-Geography:Vegesack is located at the mouth of the river Lesum, beside the Weser River . Abutting the district of Vegesack to the northwest is the district of Blumenthal, in the southeast the district of Burglesum...

 laid down her keel on July 13, 1943. She was commissioned April 6, 1944 with Oberleutnant

Oberleutnant

Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...

 Karl Heinz Wendt in command. U-1276 was equipped with a submarine snorkel

Submarine snorkel

A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...

 (underwater-breathing apparatus) when she sailed on her last cruise.

Fate

At 11:45 hours on 20 February 1945, U-1276 sank HMS Vervain

HMS Vervain (K190)

HMS Vervain was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.On 28 February 1943 the liberty ship SS Wade Hampton was torpedoed by U-405 while sailing in a convoy from New York to Murmansk, Russia...

, (LtCdr R.A. Howell, RNVR), a Flower-class corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

 escorting convoy HX-337. Vervain sank after 20 minutes about 25 nautical miles (46.3 km) south-east of Dungarvan

Dungarvan

Dungarvan is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. Dungarvan is the county town and administrative centre of County Waterford. The town's Irish name means "Garbhan's fort", referring to Saint Garbhan who founded a church there in the seventh century...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. The commander, three officers and 56 ratings were lost. Three officers and 31 ratings were rescued. HMS Amethyst

HMS Amethyst (U16)

HMS Amethyst was a Modified Black Swan-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Alexander Stephens and Sons of Linthouse, Govan Scotland on 25 March 1942, launched on 7 May 1943 and commissioned on 2 November 1943, with the pennant number U16...

 (LtCdr N. Scott-Elliot, DSC, RN), which was part of the same convoy, then sank U-1276 by depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s, off Waterford

Waterford

Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 at position 51°48′N 07°07′W. All hands (49) were lost.

Post war

In 2006, a group of divers from Ardmore Diving discovered the wreck site of the U-1276 some 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of Youghal

Youghal

Youghal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...

. The submarine is lying in 75 metres (41 fathom) of water and largely intact, albeit visibly damaged by the depth charges that sank her.