German submarine U-466
History | |
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Name | U-466 |
Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
Yard number | 297 |
Laid down | 24 May 1941 |
Launched | 30 March 1942 |
Commissioned | 17 June 1942 |
Homeport | Kiel |
Identification | M 06 641 |
Fate | Scuttled on 19 August 1944 at Toulon[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 06 641 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-466 was a
. She was scuttled at sea on 19 August 1944.She was
She began her service life in the 5th U-boat Flotilla, a training organization, before moving on to the 3rd and 29th flotillas for operational duties.
U-466 undertook five war patrols, spending a total of 182 days at sea, with no ships sunk or damaged. She was a member of six wolfpacks.
Design
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).
Service history
First and second patrols
The U-boat departed Kiel for her first patrol on 12 January 1943. She made her way to the Atlantic from Kiel through the so-called Faeroes gap - the stretch of water between
Her second sortie also took her out into the mid-Atlantic. She departed La Pallice on 17 April 1943 and returned to the same place on 26 May after 40 days at sea.
Third and fourth patrols
Her third foray took her to a point off
The boat's fourth patrol was cut short when she was badly damaged following an attack by escort vessels from Convoy MKS 29. The submarine returned to her French base on 19 November 1943 after only 35 days away.
Fifth patrol
Her fifth patrol involved the U-boat's passage to Toulon in southern France. This voyage included trafficking the heavily defended Strait of Gibraltar. She passed the Rock on 22 March 1944 and arrived in Toulon on the 30th, having been attacked by the British submarine HMS Uproar. The vessel fired four torpedoes at the U-boat; they all missed.
Loss
U-466 was severely damaged in a
Wolfpacks
U-466 took part in six
- Haudegen (26 – 29 January 1943)
- Amsel (22 April – 3 May 1943)
- Amsel 4 (3 – 6 May 1943)
- Rhein (7 – 10 May 1943)
- Elbe 2 (10 – 13 May 1943)
- Schill (25 October – 10 November 1943)
See also
- Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War II)
References
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). 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). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 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-466". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- Captain Gerhard Thäter Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine