The steel Type VIIC submarine U-714 was built for the German Navy at the yard of H C Stulken in Hamburg (Yard No 780) and launched on 12th November 1942. She measured 221.0′ x 20.5′ x 15.8′ and her tonnage was 769 displacement tons (surface) and 871 displacement tons (submerged). She was powered by 2 x F46 4-stroke 6 cylinder diesel engines by Germaniawerft for surface use and 2 x Garbe, Lahmeyer double acting electric motors for underwater propulsion. She was armed with 5 x 21 inch torpedo tubes (14 torpedoes), 1 x 3.45 inch deck gun, 2 x twin 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft guns.
U-714 enters harbour
Her career began when U-714 departed from Kiel on 23rd September 1943 heading for Trondheim. Her first patrol from Trondheim was on 13th October completing the sortie 51 days later in Lorient. Four further war patrols followed before she set off on her final, fatal voyage when she departed from Horten, Norway on 3rd March 1945 to carry out operations off the Scottish east coast. She was under the command of Kapitanlieutnant Hans-Joachim Schwebke with a crew of fifty under his command. After travelling across the North Sea they approached the Scottish mainland off Arbroath through the gap in the British defensive minefields laid off the Forth and Tay and those further north off Aberdeen and Peterhead. She then turned south heading for the Firth of Forth. On March 10th they spotted some ships. The ships were steaming south in convoy FS1753 heading for Methil then on to Southend. Schwebke ordered an attack and sank the Auxiliary Fleet Minesweeper Nordhav II with the loss of six of six of her crew. This was the first victim of the war campaign for U-714.
Kapitanlieutnant Hans-Joachim Schwebke
After the attack U-714 continued south looking for further targets. By 14th March they were off St Abbs Head and Eyemouth when they engaged with another convoy, FS 1756 consisting of seven ships heading from Methil to Southend. Schwebke fired a torpedo and hit the steamship Magne sinking her with the loss ten of the Swedish ship’s crew. However the attack brought two ships, HMS Wivern, a British destroyer acting as escort to the convoy, and the brand new South African frigate HMSAS Natal, en route from Newcastle to Methil, racing to the scene. Natal was well equipped for the search and soon picked up a strong echo. Despite the inexperience of the new crew they launched an attack firing six depth charges. Shortly after a large amount of oil came to the surface. A second string of six depth charges was launched and more oil and debris came to the surface. At this point Natal headed north on her planned voyage. However, Lieutenant Anderson aboard HMS Wyvern was still concerned that the U-boat was not necessarily fatally damaged. U-boats often ejected oil and debris from their torpedo tubes in an attempt to fool attacking vessels that they had been hit. Wyvern continued the search for hours before picking up an echo. She launched all her remaining depth charges and then was ordered to head south to catch up with the original convoy. It cannot be certain which ship delivered the fatal blow but U-714 was indeed destroyed, lost with her full crew of 50. The wreck of U-714 is now covered by the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and is a war grave.
HMS Wyvern
The wreck of U-714 lies in position 55° 52.469’N, 001° 56.850’W oriented 167°/347°. She is sitting upright and substantially in tact with debris spread over a wide area nearby in 54-55 metres rising 6 metres from the seabed. The outer casing is badly degraded probably due to the method of her loss. The main hull is canted over to the starboard side and still has the form of a submarine. Those familiar with the layout of the type VIIC will be able to see features like the attack periscope, her main tower with open hatch, port and starboard propellers and rudders, snorkel mast and hydroplanes and even the remains of a yellow dinghy and its canister. The wreck lies in an area of strong tidal movement, as such this is a slack water dive.
