German submarine U-506

German submarine U-506 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 July 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 296, launched on 20 June 1941 and commissioned on 15 September 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann.

U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-506
Ordered: 25 September 1939
Builder: Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number: 296
Laid down: 11 July 1940
Launched: 20 June 1941
Commissioned: 15 September 1941
Fate: Sunk, 12 July 1943[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type IXC submarine
Displacement:
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length:
  • 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a
  • 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power:
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament:
Service record[2][3]
Part of:
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 1st patrol: 9 – 25 March 1942
  • 2nd patrol: 6 April – 15 June 1942
  • 3rd patrol: 28 July – 7 November 1942
  • 4th patrol: 14 December 1942 – 8 May 1943
  • 5th patrol: 6–12 July 1943
Victories:
  • 14 commercial ships sunk (69,893 GRT)
  • three commercial ships damaged (23,358 GRT)
  • one commercial ship a total loss (6,821 GRT)

After completing her training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla based at Stettin, U-506 was transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 February 1942.[2] She sank 14 ships, three were classified as 'damaged' another vessel was declared a 'total loss'. The submarine's missions, particularly the sinking of the merchant ship Heredia and later involvement in the so-called Laconia Incident is chronicled in the 2016 book So Close to Home.

She was sunk in the Atlantic on 12 July 1943 by depth charges dropped by a US B-24 Liberator.[1]

Design

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-506 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[4] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[4]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[4] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-506 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[4]

Service history

1st patrol

U-506 first departed Hamburg on 2 March 1942 and sailed to Heligoland,[3] leaving there on 9 March for her first patrol, which took her around the British Isles to Lorient in occupied France via the gap between the Shetland and Faeroe Islands, by 25 March.[5]

2nd patrol

The U-boat sailed from Lorient on 6 April 1942, crossed the Atlantic, and entered the Gulf of Mexico to operate off the Mississippi River Delta against the crucial oil trade.[6] En route she sank a Nicaraguan merchant ship off the southern tip of Florida.[7] Between 10 and 20 May she sank three American oil tankers and a banana boat, and damaged four other oil tankers, one so badly it was declared a total loss. On the return journey she sank two British merchant ships off the Bahamas, eventually returning to Lorient on 15 June.[6]

3rd patrol

U-506 sailed from Lorient once again on 28 July 1942 and headed south to the coast of West Africa, operating against ships sailing from Freetown, Sierra Leone. There she sank five more merchant ships, four British, one Swedish. On the return journey the U-boat took part in the rescue operations after the sinking of the RMS Laconia, before returning to Lorient on 7 November after 103 days at sea.[8]

4th patrol

The U-boat sailed from Lorient on 14 December 1942 and again headed south, this time to the coast of South Africa, where she sank two merchant ships, one British, the other Norwegian, before returning to base on 8 May.[9] She was away even longer than on her third patrol-146 days.

5th patrol

U-506's final voyage began on 6 July 1943.[3] On 12 July the U-boat was attacked by a USAAF B-24 Liberator bomber of the 1st Anti-Submarine Squadron in the North Atlantic west of Vigo, Spain, in position 42°30′N 16°30′W. The U-boat was located by the aircraft's SC137 10 cm radar, which the Germans could not detect, and was attacked with seven depth charges. The U-boat broke in two, and about 15 men were seen in the water by the pilot, who dropped a liferaft and a smoke flare. Only six men were rescued by a British destroyer three days later.[2]

Summary of raiding history
Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate
3 May 1942 Sama  Nicaragua 567 Sunk
10 May 1942 Aurora  United States 7,050 Damaged
13 May 1942 David McKelvy  United States 6,821 Total loss
16 May 1942 Sun  United States 9,002 Damaged
16 May 1942 William C. McTarnahan  United States 7,366 Damaged
17 May 1942 Gulfoil  United States 5,189 Sunk
19 May 1942 Heredia  United States 4,732 Sunk
20 May 1942 Halo  United States 6,986 Sunk
20 May 1942 Yorkmoor  United Kingdom 4,457 Sunk
31 May 1942 Fred W. Green  United Kingdom 2,292 Sunk
21 August 1942 City of Wellington  United Kingdom 5,733 Sunk
23 August 1942 Hamla  United Kingdom 4,416 Sunk
5 September 1942 Myrmidon  United Kingdom 6,278 Sunk
13 September 1942 Lima  Sweden 3,764 Sunk
23 September 1942 Siam II  United Kingdom 6,637 Sunk
7 March 1943 Sabor  United Kingdom 5,212 Sunk
9 March 1943 Tabor  Norway 4,758 Sunk
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References
  1. Kemp 1999, p. 130.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-506". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-506". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  4. Gröner 1991, p. 68.
  5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-506 from 9 Mar 1942 to 25 Mar 1942". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-506 from 6 Apr 1942 to 15 Jun 1942". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Sama (Motor merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  8. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-506 from 28 Jul 1942 to 7 Nov 1942". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-506 from 14 Dec 1942 to 8 May 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 February 2010.

Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Tougias, Michael. So Close to Home: The True Story of an American Family's Fight for Survival in WWII. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 1681771306.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-506". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  • Hofmann, Markus. "U 506". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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