German submarine U-506

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 on 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	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
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	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record[2][3]
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 15 September 1941 – 31 January 1942 10th U-boat Flotilla 1 February 1942 – 12 July 1943
Identification codes:	M 18 799
Commanders:	Kptlt. Erich Würdemann 15 September 1941 – 12 July 1943
Operations:	5 patrols: 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 merchant ships sunk (69,893 GRT) 1 merchant ship total loss (6,821 GRT) 3 merchant ships damaged (23,358 GRT)

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.

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]