Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Kriegsmarine — Submarine

German submarine U-506

Type IXC submarine

German submarine U-506
Jeremy Atherton — Self-photographed — CC BY-SA 2.5 — Wikimedia Commons Plate U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL. October 2005.

Service

  1. Kriegsmarine as U-50615 September 1941 — 12 July 1943665 days of the war
Type IXC submarine Particulars
Name
U-506
Builder
Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Ordered
25 September 1939
Laid down
11 July 1940
Launched
20 June 1941
Commissioned
15 September 1941
Fate
Sunk on 12 July 1943 (1943)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,102 long tons (1,120 t)
Displacement, submerged
1,213 long tons (1,232 t)
Length
76.76 m (251.8 ft) OA
Beam
6.76 m (22.2 ft)
Draught
4.7 m (15.4 ft)
Speed
18.2 knots (33.7 km/h, 20.9 mph)
Range
13,450 nmi (24,909 km)
Complement
48
Main gun
105 mm (4.1 in)

U-506 was a Type IXC submarine in service with the Kriegsmarine. Her keel was laid at Deutsche Werft, Hamburg on 11 July 1940. She entered service on 15 September 1941, having been launched on 20 June 1941.

Her class ran to 142 ships. The class followed the Type I and was succeeded by the Type XXI.

The boat displaced 1,102 long tons surfaced and 1,213 long tons submerged. She measured 76.8 m (252 ft) long with a beam of 6.8 m (22 ft). Her designed speed was 18.2 knots, and she carried a complement of 48.

Her main battery was one 105 mm (4.1 in) guns.

She was in commission for 665 days of the Second World War.

She was sunk on 12 July 1943, at 42°30′N 16°30′W. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × diesel engines
  • 2 × electric motors
Power
  • 4400 PS (diesels)
  • 1000 PS (electric)
Armament
  • 6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)
  • 22 × 53.3 cm torpedoes
  • 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds)
  • 1 × 3.7 cm SK C/30 AA gun
  • 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns

Sister ships

117 more in the class

Sources