German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-206" was a Type VIIC U-boat of the "Kriegsmarine" during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 June 1940 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 635, launched on 4 April 1941 and commissioned on 17 May under the command of "Oberleutnant zur See" Herbert Opitz.
She was possibly sunk in November 1941 by a British-laid minefield.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-206" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-206" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
The partner city ("Patenstadt") that sponsored the construction of the submarine was Reichenberg, and she bore the city's coat of arms.
Service history.
Part of the 3rd U-boat Flotilla, "U-206" carried out three patrols in the North Atlantic:
First patrol.
"U-206"'s first patrol began when she left Trondheim in Norway on 5 August 1941; she travelled through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and headed south, towards the west of Ireland. She sank the "Ocean Victor" on 9 August south of Iceland.
On 26 August, U-206 rescued (against the regulations) from two rubber dinghies six British No. 612 Squadron RAF crew of the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk. V, after its engine had failed during an anti-submarine patrol. They were brought to St. Nazaire, and later to POW camps; soon after the rescue, the British were able to smuggle intelligence back to Britain, describing the submarine and the St. Nazaire port. She was the first submarine that brought British POWs to France.
She arrived at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 10 September.
Second patrol.
On her second foray, she sank on 14 October 1941 west of Gibraltar and the "Baron Kelvin", close to the Rock on the 19th.
Third patrol and loss.
"U-206" was posted missing from 29 November 1941. She is believed to have been the victim of a minefield laid by the RAF, (code-named 'Beech'), west of St. Nazaire. Forty-six men died; there were no survivors. The men were pronounced dead in March 1942.
Wolfpacks.
"U-206" took part in four wolfpacks, namely:
Location.
Since 2018, research to locate the submarine has been ongoing; some twenty possible wrecks have been identified, and dives are planned for 2020.
References.
Notes.
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