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German submarine U-657

Coordinates: 58°54′N 42°33′W / 58.900°N 42.550°W / 58.900; -42.550
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History
Nazi Germany
NameU-657
Ordered9 October 1939
BuilderHowaldtswerke, Hamburg
Yard number806
Laid down5 October 1940
Launched12 August 1941
Commissioned8 October 1941
FateSunk 17 May 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 58°54′N 42°33′W / 58.900°N 42.550°W / 58.900; -42.550, by depth charges from HMS Swale.
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeType VIIC submarine
Displacementlist error: <br /> list (help)
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Lengthlist error: <br /> list (help)
67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a
50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beamlist error: <br /> list (help)
6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsionlist error: <br /> list (help)
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
Speedlist error: <br /> list (help)
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Rangelist error: <br /> list (help)
8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depthlist error: <br /> list (help)
230 m (750 ft)
Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement44–52 officers & ratings
Armamentlist error: mixed text and list (help)
Service record[2]
Part of: list error: <br /> list (help)
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: list error: <br /> list (help)
Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Radke
(8 October 1941 - 14 December 1941)
KrvKpt Heinrich Göllnitz
(20 December 1941 - 17 May 1943)
Operations: list error: <br /> list (help)
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).

Wolf packs

U-657 took part in 6 wolf packs, 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 / 58.900; -42.550, by depth charges from Royal Navy frigate HMS Swale. All hands were lost.

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)
Fate[3]
17 May 1943 Aymeric  United Kingdom 5,196 Sunk

References

Notes
  1. ^ Gröner 1985, pp. 72–74.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-657". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  3. ^ 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 (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher (in German). Vol. III. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.

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