U-66

U-66. It was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Commissioned in early 1941, the vessel conducted eleven war patrols, operating primarily in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It was one of the more successful U-boats of the conflict, credited with sinking over 30 Allied merchant ships before being destroyed in a fierce battle with American aircraft and a destroyer escort in 1944.

Service history

The submarine was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 7 August 1939 as part of the naval expansion program. Its construction was assigned to the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen, where its keel was laid on 20 March 1940. Following its commissioning under the command of Kapitänleutnant Richard Zapp, it was assigned to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla based in Wilhelmshaven for training. After working up in the Baltic Sea, it was declared operational and transferred to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla in Lorient, France, for front-line service in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Construction and specifications

Built at the AG Weser facility, the boat was a Type IXC, a long-range ocean-going design. It had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes surfaced and 1,232 tonnes submerged, with an overall length of 76.76 meters. Propulsion was provided by two MAN diesel engines for surface running and two Siemens electric motors for submerged travel, giving it a top speed of over 18 knots on the surface. Its armament consisted of six torpedo tubes and a 10.5 cm deck gun, and it carried a standard complement of 48 officers and men.

Operational career

On its first patrol in May 1941, it departed Kiel and patrolled the waters south of Greenland, achieving no successes. Its second patrol in the North Atlantic in July 1941 yielded its first victim, the British steamer SS Empire Buffalo. Subsequently, it was transferred to operate from bases in occupied France, including Lorient and Bordeaux. The boat's most successful period came during operations in the Caribbean Sea and off the coast of West Africa in 1942 and 1943, where it attacked numerous convoys and independent sailings. Notable sinkings included the American tanker SS Gulfstate and the British freighter SS Trevilley. It also engaged in a dramatic rescue operation, saving the crew of the downed German Condor aircraft of Fliegerführer Atlantik in October 1943.

Commanding officers

* **2 January 1941 – 1 September 1942:** Kapitänleutnant Richard Zapp, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his command. * **2 September 1942 – 31 July 1943:** Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Markworth, who continued the boat's successful patrols. * **1 August 1943 – 6 May 1944:** Oberleutnant zur See Gerhard Seehausen, who was in command during its final patrol and sinking.

Fate

On its eleventh war patrol, the boat was located west of the Cape Verde Islands on 6 May 1944 by aircraft from the American escort carrier USS *Block Island*. A coordinated attack was launched by Avenger and Wildcat aircraft from Composite Squadron 58 (VC-58), along with the destroyer escort USS *Buckley*. After a prolonged and intense surface battle involving gunfire and ramming by the *Buckley*, the submarine was sunk. Of its crew, 36 men were lost, including Gerhard Seehausen, while 24 survivors were rescued by the *Buckley* and later transferred to the *Block Island*, becoming prisoners of war.

Category:World War II submarines of Germany Category:Type IXC submarines Category:Ships built in Bremen Category:Maritime incidents in May 1944