List of all U-boats
U-657
Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||
Ordered | 9 Oct 1939 | |||||||||||||
Laid down | 5 Oct 1940 | Howaldtswerke Hamburg AG, Hamburg (werk 806) | ||||||||||||
Launched | 12 Aug 1941 | |||||||||||||
Commissioned | 8 Oct 1941 | Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Radke | ||||||||||||
Commanders |
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Career 7 patrols |
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Successes | 1 ship sunk, total tonnage 5,196 GRT | |||||||||||||
Fate |
Sunk on 17 May 1943 in the North Atlantic south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 58.54N, 42.33W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Swale. 47 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, June 1992). | |||||||||||||
Loss position |
Previously recorded fate
- Sunk 14 May, 1943 east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 60.10N, 31.52W, by an American Catalina aircraft (Sqdn. VP-82/C) using air dropped MK 24 torpedo. (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack was probably also against U-657 but did not inflict lethal damage.
Wolfpack operations
U-657 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Naseweis (31 Mar 1942 - 10 Apr 1942)
Eisteufel (21 Jun 1942 - 8 Jul 1942)
Nebelkönig (27 Jul 1942 - 14 Aug 1942)
Nordwind (24 Jan 1943 - 4 Feb 1943)
Iller (12 May 1943 - 15 May 1943)
Donau 1 (15 May 1943 - 17 May 1943)
Attacks on this boat and other events
27 Apr 1942
The boat was damaged in an air raid on the harbour at Trondheim, Norway. One of the crew was injured.
14 May 1943
The boat was attacked by an American Catalina flying boat (USN VP-84) east of Cape Farewell. No damage. (Sources: Kenneth Wynn)
2 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from the boat
14 Dec 1941
Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Radke of U-657 was killed in a fire on the submarine depot ship Black Prince on 14 Dec. 1941. 28 men died. The boat was undergoing trials at the time.
27 Apr 1942
The boat was damaged in an air raid on the harbour at Trondheim, Norway. One of the crew was injured.
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
U-boat Emblems
We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
The Polar Bear - 11th Flotilla |
Fish and Lion |
Media links
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