U-556

U-556 was a German Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on January 2, 1940, at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and was commissioned on February 6, 1941, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth, who had previously served on the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. U-556 was one of the most successful U-boats of the war, sinking several ships, including the SS Empress of Britain, a British ocean liner that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-32 and later finished off by the German submarine U-74 and the HMS Bulldog was not involved, but the German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen was. The U-boat also had encounters with the Royal Navy's HMS Ark Royal and the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Saguenay.

● U-556

The U-556 was a Type VIIC U-boat, a class of submarines designed by the German Navy for use during World War II. The submarine was 67.1 meters long, with a beam of 6.2 meters and a draft of 4.7 meters, and was powered by two MAN SE diesel engines and two Siemens-Schuckert electric motors. The U-556 was armed with five torpedo tubes, fourteen G7e torpedoes, and a 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun and had a crew of 44-52 men, including one Kapitänleutnant, one Leutnant zur See, and several Obersteuermanns. The submarine was also equipped with a FuMO 29 radar system and a GHG hydrophone system, which allowed it to detect and track enemy ships. The U-556 was one of the 568 U-boats built by the Kriegsmarine during the war, including the U-47, U-48, and U-99, which were all commanded by famous U-boat commanders, such as Günther Prien and Otto Kretschmer, who had previously served on the German cruiser Deutschland during the Spanish Civil War.

● Career

The U-556 began its career in February 1941, when it was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine and assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla, which was based in Kiel, Germany. The submarine underwent a series of training exercises and patrols in the Baltic Sea before being assigned to the 1st U-boat Flotilla, which was based in Brest, France. The U-556 then began to patrol the North Atlantic Ocean, where it encountered several Allied convoys, including Convoy HX 121 and Convoy OB 318, which were escorted by the Royal Navy's HMS Rodney and the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS St. Clair. The submarine also had encounters with the United States Navy's USS Reuben James and the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales, which was later sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Battle of Malaya.

● Sinking

The U-556 was sunk on June 27, 1941, by the Royal Navy's HMS Malcolm, HMS Scimitar, and HMS Castleton, which were part of the escort for Convoy HX 133. The submarine was attacked with depth charges and was forced to surface, where it was then sunk by gunfire from the HMS Malcolm. The U-556 sank at approximately 5:30 pm, resulting in the loss of 41 lives, including the commander, Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth, who had previously been awarded the Iron Cross for his service on the German submarine U-14. The sinking of the U-556 was a significant loss for the Kriegsmarine, as it was one of the most successful U-boats of the war, with a total of 12 ships sunk and over 50,000 tons of shipping destroyed, including the SS Anglo Saxon, a British cargo ship that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-101.

● Commanders

The U-556 had only one commander during its career, Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth, who was a highly experienced and decorated U-boat commander. Wohlfarth had previously served on the German submarine U-14 and had been awarded the Iron Cross for his service during the Spanish Civil War. He was also a recipient of the U-boat War Badge and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to him for his service on the U-556. Wohlfarth was known for his bravery and tactical skills, and was respected by his crew and his peers, including Karl Dönitz, the commander of the Kriegsmarine's U-boat fleet, who had previously served on the German cruiser Emden during the Battle of the Heligoland Bight.

● Operational history

The U-556 had a relatively short operational history, but it was a highly successful one. The submarine sank a total of 12 ships and over 50,000 tons of shipping during its career, including the SS Treverbyn, a British cargo ship that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-552. The U-556 also had encounters with several Allied convoys, including Convoy HX 121 and Convoy OB 318, which were escorted by the Royal Navy's HMS King George V and the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Assiniboine. The submarine's operational history was marked by several notable events, including its encounter with the Royal Navy's HMS Hood, which was later sunk by the German battleship Bismarck during the Battle of Denmark Strait. The U-556's operational history came to an end on June 27, 1941, when it was sunk by the Royal Navy's HMS Malcolm, HMS Scimitar, and HMS Castleton, resulting in the loss of 41 lives, including the commander, Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth. Category:German U-boats