German submarine U-657
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-657 |
| Ordered: | 9 October 1939 |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 806 |
| Laid down: | 5 October 1940 |
| Launched: | 12 August 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 8 October 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk 17 May 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 58°54′N 42°33′W / 58.900°N 42.550°WCoordinates: 58°54′N 42°33′W / 58.900°N 42.550°W, by depth charges from HMS Swale. |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement: | 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × BBC GG UB 720/8 electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296 |
| Speed: | 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (8 October 1941 - 28 February 1942) - Training 3rd U-boat Flotilla (1 March 1942 - 30 June 1942) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 July 1942 - 17 May 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Radke[3] (8 October 1941 - 14 December 1941) KrvKpt Heinrich Göllnitz[4] (20 December 1941 - 17 May 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 26 March 1942 - 11 April 1942 2nd patrol: 17 June 1942 - 9 July 1942 3rd patrol: 23 July 1942 - 16 August 1942 4th patrol: 22 November 1942 - 25 December 1942 5th patrol: 23 January 1943 - 14 February 1943 6th patrol: 15 February 1943 - 15 March 1943 7th patrol: 4 May 1943 - 17 May 1943 |
| Victories: | 1 merchant ship sunk (5,196 GRT) |
German submarine U-657 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 5 October 1940 by Howaldtswerke, Hamburg as yard number 806, launched on 12 August 1941 and commissioned on 8 October 1941 under Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Jürgen Radke.
Radke was killed in a fire while the boat was undergoing trials on 14 December 1941.
Service History
The boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 8 October 1941, followed by active service on 1 March 1942 as part of the 3rd Flotilla in La Pallice, France. Four months later, she transferred to 11th Flotilla, in Bergen, Norway, for the remainder of her service.
In 7 patrols she sank 1 merchant ships, for a total of 5,196 gross register tons (GRT).
Wolfpacks
U-657 took part in in six wolfpacks, namely
- Naseweis (31 March 1942 – 10 April 1942)
- Eisteufel (21 June 1942 – 8 July 1942)
- Nebelkönig (27 July 1942 – 14 August 1942)
- Nordwind (24 January 1943 – 4 February 1943)
- Iller (12 May 1943 – 15 May 1943)
- Donau 1 (15 May 1943 – 17 May 1943)
Fate
U-657 was sunk on 17 May 1943 in the North Atlantic, E of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 58°54′N 42°33′W / 58.900°N 42.550°W, by depth charges from Royal Navy frigate HMS Swale. All hands were lost.
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1943 | Aymeric |  United Kingdom |
5,196 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-657". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hans-Jürgen Radke". German U-boats of World War II - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Heinrich Göllnitz". German U-boats of World War II - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-657". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-657". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.