German submarineU-566

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-566
Ordered	24 October 1939
Builder	Blohm & Voss,Hamburg
Yard number	542
Laid down	30 March 1940
Launched	20 February 1941
Commissioned	17 April 1941
Fate	Scuttled on 24 October 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIICsubmarine
Displacement	769tonnes(757long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in)o/a; 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in)pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels); 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 ×diesel engines; 2 ×electric motors;
Speed	17.7knots(32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced; 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged;
Range	8,500nmi(15,700km;9,800mi) 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	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes(four bow, one stern); 14 ×torpedoesor26 TMAmines; 1 ×8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds); 1 x2 cm (0.79 in) C/30AA gun;
Service record
Part of:	1st U-boat Flotilla; 17 April 1941 – 24 October 1943;
Identification codes:	M 42 015
Commanders:	Kptlt.Dietrich Borchert; 17 April 1941 – 24 July 1942; Oblt.z.S.Gerhard Remus; 25 July 1942 – 24 January 1943; Kptlt.Hans Hornkohl; 25 January – 24 October 1943;
Operations:	11 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 30 July – 19 August 1941; 2nd patrol:; a. 30 August – 20 September 1941; b. 22 – 27 September 1941; c. 29 September – 2 October 1941; d. 3 – 4 December 1941; 3rd patrol:; 9 – 23 December 1941; 4th patrol:; 15 January – 9 March 1942; 5th patrol:; 8 April – 30 June 1942; 6th patrol:; 6 August – 5 September 1942; 7th patrol:; 28 October – 1 December 1942; 8th patrol:; 6 February – 25 March 1943; 9th patrol:; 24 – 28 April 1943; 10th patrol:; 5 July – 1 September 1943; 11th patrol:; 18 – 24 October 1943;
Victories:	6 merchant ships sunk; (38,092GRT); 1 warship sunk; (2,265 tons);

German submarineU-566was aType VIIC U-boatofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarineduringWorld War II.The submarine waslaid downon 30 March 1940 at theBlohm & Vossyard inHamburgas yard number 542,launchedon 20 February 1941 andcommissionedon 17 April under the command ofKapitänleutnantDietrich Borchert.

She was scuttled by her crew on 24 October 1943 after being damaged by sixdepth chargesfrom a BritishWellingtonaircraft in the North Atlantic west of Portugal, in position41°12′N9°31′W/ 41.200°N 9.517°W/41.200; -9.517.There were no casualties.^[2]

Design

German Type VIIC submarineswere preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-566had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.^[4]She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hulllength of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeamof 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraughtof 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerftF46 four-stroke, six-cylindersupercharged diesel enginesproducing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, twoBrown, Boveri & CieGG UB 720/8double-acting electric motorsproducing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 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 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).^[4]When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-566was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes(four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes,one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun,220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplementof between forty-four and sixty.^[4]

Service history

In the eleven combat patrols of her career the U-boat sank seven vessels; six merchant ships totalling 38,092GRTbetween February and November 1942, and the 2,265 tonspatrol gunboat USSPlymouth(PG-57)on 5 August 1943.^[3]

She was initially involved in a short journey fromTrondheimtoKirkenes,both in Norway in July 1941.

First and second patrols

The submarine's first and second patrols were marked by no more than an unsuccessful attack by a Soviet submarine offKildin Islandwhich caused no damage.

Before her third patrol, she moved between Kirkenes,BergenandKristiansandfrom September to December 1941.^[2]

Third, fourth and fifth patrols

The boat's third patrol took her from Kristiansand toLorientin occupied France where she arrived on 23 December 1941. Her route took her through thegapbetween theFaroeandShetland Islands,west of Ireland and into theBay of Biscay.

Her fourth sortie was marked with the sinking of theMeropion 14 February 1942 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) east-southeast of the Sambro light-house inNova Scotia.

The U-boat's fifth patrol commenced with her departure fromBrest,which she continued to use for the rest of her career, on 8 April 1942. She sank theWestmorlandon 1 June 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) north-northeast ofBermuda,using a torpedo and herdeck gun.

Sixth, seventh and eighth patrols

Her sixth outing saw the sinking of theTritonnortheast of theAzoreson 17 August 1942 and theZuiderkerkon 28 August.^[2]

The boat's seventh foray was rewarded with the sinking of theGlenleaon 7 November in mid-Atlantic, but she was attacked and severely damaged by aHudsonofNo. 233 Squadron RAFon 17 November 1942, forcing the U-boat to abort her patrol.^[2]

Her eighth patrol was fruitless.

Ninth patrol

On 26 April 1943 she was disabled by a BritishLeigh light-equippedWellingtonof172 Squadron.The damage was such (including an untraceable oil leak), that she was unable to dive and had to be escorted back to base.^[2]

Tenth patrol

She sank theUSSPlymouthon 120 nautical miles (220 km; 140 mi) southeast of Cape Henry, Virginia on 5 August 1943, but was attacked by aLockheed Venturafrom United States Navy Squadron VP-128^[2]300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) east of Cape Charles, also in Virginia, on 7 August 1943. Her AA fire forced the aircraft to ditch (she had misidentified the aircraft as aB-25 Mitchell). She also shot a second Ventura down (also wrongly categorized as a Mitchell) after it and aMartin Marinerboth attacked, without result.

Eleventh patrol

The boat was scuttled on 24 October 1943 after she came off worse with an encounter with a Wellington of179 Squadron.The submarine's crew were picked up by a Spanish trawler and briefly interned. They survived the war and in 1970 met the aircrew who had been victorious.^[2]

Wolfpacks

U-566took part in sixwolfpacks,namely:

Pfadfinder(21 – 27 May 1942)
Blücher(14 – 28 August 1942)
Natter (2 – 8 November 1942)
Westwall (8 – 22 November 1942)
Neptun (18 February – 3 March 1943)
Westmark (6 – 11 March 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 1]}	Fate^[5]
15 April 1942	Meropi	Greece	4,181	Sunk
1 June 1942	Westmorland	United Kingdom	8,967	Sunk
17 August 1942	Triton	Norway	6,607	Sunk
28 August 1942	City of Cardiff	United Kingdom	5,661	Sunk
28 August 1942	Zuiderkerk	Netherlands	8,424	Sunk
7 November 1942	Glenlea	United Kingdom	4,252	Sunk
5 August 1943	USSPlymouth	United States Navy	2,265	Sunk

References

Notes

^Merchant ship tonnages are ingross register tons.Military vessels are listed by tonsdisplacement.

Citations

^Kemp 1999,p. 153.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^hHelgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved16 February2010.
^^a ^bHelgason, Guðmundur."War Patrols by German U-boat U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved16 February2010.
^^a ^b ^c ^dGröner 1991,pp. 43–46.
^Helgason, Guðmundur."Ships hit by U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved2 February2014.

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.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999).Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945[German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler.ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991).German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.Vol. 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.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved28 December2014.
Hofmann, Markus."U 566".Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de(in German).Retrieved28 December2014.

[tonnage-5] Merchant ship tonnages are ingross register tons.Military vessels are listed by tonsdisplacement.

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999153-1] Kemp 1999,p. 153.

[uboatnet-2] ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^hHelgason, Guðmundur."The Type VIIC boat U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved16 February2010.

[patrols-3] Helgason, Guðmundur."War Patrols by German U-boat U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved16 February2010.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199143–46-4] Gröner 1991,pp. 43–46.

[6] Helgason, Guðmundur."Ships hit by U-566".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved2 February2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[Note 1]

[5]

v t e Type VII submarines
Type VIIA	U-27 U-28 U-29 U-30 U-31 U-32 U-33 U-34 U-35 U-36
Type VIIB	U-45 U-46 U-47 U-48 U-49 U-50 U-51 U-52 U-53 U-54 U-55 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-83 U-84 U-85 U-86 U-87 U-99 U-100 U-101 U-102
Type VIIC	U-69 U-70 U-71 U-72 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80 U-81 U-82 U-88 U-89 U-90 U-91 U-92 U-93 U-94 U-95 U-96 U-97 U-98 U-132 U-133 U-134 U-135 U-136 U-201 U-202 U-203 U-204 U-205 U-206 U-207 U-208 U-209 U-210 U-211 U-212 U-221 U-222 U-223 U-224 U-225 U-226 U-227 U-228 U-229 U-230 U-231 U-232 U-235 U-236 U-237 U-238 U-239 U-240 U-241 U-242 U-243 U-244 U-245 U-246 U-247 U-248 U-249 U-250 U-251 U-252 U-253 U-254 U-255 U-256 U-257 U-258 U-259 U-260 U-261 U-262 U-263 U-264 U-265 U-266 U-267 U-268 U-269 U-270 U-271 U-272 U-273 U-274 U-275 U-276 U-277 U-278 U-279 U-280 U-281 U-282 U-283 U-284 U-285 U-286 U-287 U-288 U-289 U-290 U-291 U-301 U-302 U-303 U-304 U-305 U-306 U-307 U-308 U-309 U-310 U-311 U-312 U-313 U-314 U-315 U-316 U-331 U-332 U-333 U-334 U-335 U-336 U-337 U-338 U-339 U-340 U-341 U-342 U-343 U-344 U-345 U-346 U-347 U-348 U-349 U-350 U-351 U-352 U-353 U-354 U-355 U-356 U-357 U-358 U-359 U-360 U-361 U-362 U-363 U-364 U-365 U-366 U-367 U-368 U-369 U-370 U-371 U-372 U-373 U-374 U-375 U-376 U-377 U-378 U-379 U-380 U-381 U-382 U-383 U-384 U-385 U-386 U-387 U-388 U-389 U-390 U-391 U-392 U-393 U-394 U-396 U-397 U-398 U-399 U-400 U-401 U-402 U-403 U-404 U-405 U-406 U-407 U-408 U-409 U-410 U-411 U-412 U-413 U-414 U-415 U-416 U-417 U-418 U-419 U-420 U-421 U-422 U-423 U-424 U-425 U-426 U-427 U-428 U-429 U-430 U-431 U-432 U-433 U-434 U-435 U-436 U-437 U-438 U-439 U-440 U-441 U-442 U-443 U-444 U-445 U-446 U-447 U-448 U-449 U-450 U-451 U-452 U-453 U-454 U-455 U-456 U-457 U-458 U-465 U-466 U-467 U-468 U-469 U-470 U-471 U-472 U-473 U-475 U-476 U-477 U-478 U-479 U-480 U-481 U-482 U-483 U-484 U-485 U-486 U-551 U-552 U-553 U-554 U-555 U-556 U-557 U-558 U-559 U-560 U-561 U-562 U-563 U-564 U-565 U-566 U-567 U-568 U-569 U-570 U-571 U-572 U-573 U-574 U-575 U-576 U-577 U-578 U-579 U-580 U-581 U-582 U-583 U-584 U-585 U-586 U-587 U-588 U-589 U-590 U-591 U-592 U-593 U-594 U-595 U-596 U-597 U-598 U-599 U-600 U-601 U-602 U-603 U-604 U-605 U-606 U-607 U-608 U-609 U-610 U-611 U-612 U-613 U-614 U-615 U-616 U-617 U-618 U-619 U-620 U-621 U-622 U-623 U-624 U-625 U-626 U-627 U-628 U-629 U-630 U-631 U-632 U-633 U-634 U-635 U-636 U-637 U-638 U-639 U-640 U-641 U-642 U-643 U-644 U-645 U-646 U-647 U-648 U-649 U-650 U-651 U-652 U-653 U-654 U-655 U-656 U-657 U-658 U-659 U-660 U-661 U-662 U-663 U-664 U-665 U-666 U-667 U-668 U-669 U-670 U-671 U-672 U-673 U-674 U-675 U-676 U-677 U-678 U-679 U-680 U-681 U-682 U-683 U-701 U-702 U-703 U-704 U-705 U-706 U-707 U-708 U-709 U-710 U-711 U-712 U-713 U-714 U-715 U-716 U-717 U-718 U-719 U-720 U-721 U-722 U-731 U-732 U-733 U-734 U-735 U-736 U-737 U-738 U-739 U-740 U-741 U-742 U-743 U-744 U-745 U-746 U-747 U-748 U-749 U-750 U-751 U-752 U-753 U-754 U-755 U-756 U-757 U-758 U-759 U-760 U-761 U-762 U-763 U-764 U-765 U-766 U-767 U-768 U-771 U-772 U-773 U-774 U-775 U-776 U-777 U-778 U-779 U-821 U-822 U-825 U-826 U-901 U-903 U-904 U-905 U-907 U-921 U-922 U-923 U-924 U-925 U-926 U-927 U-928 U-951 U-952 U-953 U-954 U-955 U-956 U-957 U-958 U-959 U-960 U-961 U-962 U-963 U-964 U-965 U-966 U-967 U-968 U-969 U-970 U-971 U-972 U-973 U-974 U-975 U-976 U-977 U-978 U-979 U-980 U-981 U-982 U-983 U-984 U-985 U-986 U-987 U-988 U-989 U-990 U-991 U-992 U-993 U-994 U-1051 U-1052 U-1053 U-1054 U-1055 U-1056 U-1057 U-1058 U-1101 U-1102 U-1131 U-1132 U-1161 U-1162 U-1191 U-1192 U-1193 U-1194 U-1195 U-1196 U-1197 U-1198 U-1199 U-1200 U-1201 U-1202 U-1203 U-1204 U-1205 U-1206 U-1207 U-1208 U-1209 U-1210
Type VIIC/41	U-292 U-293 U-294 U-295 U-296 U-297 U-298 U-299 U-300 U-317 U-318 U-319 U-320 U-321 U-322 U-323 U-324 U-325 U-326 U-327 U-328 U-691 U-827 U-828 U-929 U-930 U-995 U-997 U-998 U-999 U-1000 U-1001 U-1002 U-1003 U-1004 U-1005 U-1006 U-1007 U-1008 U-1009 U-1010 U-1011 U-1013 U-1014 U-1015 U-1016 U-1017 U-1018 U-1019 U-1020 U-1021 U-1022 U-1023 U-1024 U-1025 U-1063 U-1064 U-1065 U-1103 U-1104 U-1105 U-1106 U-1107 U-1108 U-1109 U-1110 U-1163 U-1164 U-1165 U-1166 U-1167 U-1168 U-1169 U-1170 U-1171 U-1172 U-1271 U-1272 U-1273 U-1274 U-1275 U-1276 U-1277 U-1278 U-1279 U-1301 U-1302 U-1303 U-1304 U-1305 U-1306 U-1307 U-1308
Type VIID	U-213 U-214 U-215 U-216 U-217 U-218
Type VIIF	U-1059 U-1060 U-1061 U-1062
Preceded by:Type II Followed by:Type IX List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1943
Shipwrecks	1 Oct:Empire Commerce 3 Oct:USSHenley,HMSUsurper 4 Oct:U-279,U-389,U-422,U-460 5 Oct:USSLST-448,Sposobny 6 Oct:Yūgumo 7 Oct:USSChevalier,USSS-44 8 Oct:ORPOrkan,U-419,U-610,U-643,SS Dainichi Maru 9 Oct:USSBuck,HMSPanther 11 Oct:HMSHythe,Mario Roselli,USSWahoo,Jalabala 13 Oct:USSBristol,U-402 16 Oct:USSMoonstone,U-470,U-533,U-844,U-964 17 Oct:Michel,U-540,U-631,U-841 19 Oct:Sinfra 20 Oct:U-378 21 Oct:HMCSChedabucto,USSMurphy,SSTivives,U-431 22 Oct:HMSHurworth 23 Oct:HMSCharybdis,Taranto,U-274 24 Oct:HMSEclipse,HMSOrlionoch,Mochizuki,U-566 26 Oct:James Longstreet 28 Oct:U-220,USS YP-88 29 Oct:U-282 31 Oct:U-306,U-584,U-732 Unknown date:USSDorado,Sebastiano Caboto,HMSTrooper,U-420
Other incidents	5 Oct:Ro-40 6 Oct:I-183 9 Oct:HMSCarlisle,Cuxhaven 10 Oct:Mario Roselli,Minerve 22 Oct:Adrias 23 Oct:James Iredell
194219431944 September 1943November 1943