Type | VIIB | |||||||||||||
| Ordered | 9 Jun 1938 | |||||||||||||
| Laid down | 20 Jan 1940 | Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 282) | ||||||||||||
| Launched | 10 May 1941 | |||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 8 Jul 1941 | Oblt. Walter Schug | ||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 8 patrols |
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| Successes | 3 ships sunk, total tonnage 9,614 GRT 1 ship damaged, total tonnage 8,627 GRT | |||||||||||||
| Fate |
Sunk on 29 November 1943 in the North Atlantic east of the Azores, in position 40.42N, 18.54W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Tumult and HMS Rocket. 50 dead (all hands lost). (Axel Niestlé, January 2005). | |||||||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||||||
U-86 reported for the last time on 28 Nov, 1943, while operating against the combined convoys MKS-31/SL-140 in position 39.40N, 17.10W. She was then ordered to operate with the wolfpacks Weddigen and Coronel in the eastern North Atlantic, but was listed as missing effective 14 December after failing answer radio calls.
Previously recorded fate
- Listed as missing in the in the North Atlantic after 28 Nov 1943. All hands lost, 50 men. (Eric Zimmermann, December 1996)
- Sunk 29 Nov, 1943 east of the Azores, in position 39.33N, 19.01W, by depth charges
from aircraft (VC-19) of the US escort carrier USS Bogue. (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack in fact was directed towards U-764 that escaped undamaged.
Wolfpack operations
U-86 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Ziethen (7 Jan 1942 - 22 Jan 1942)
Wolf (13 Jul 1942 - 31 Jul 1942)
Natter (6 Nov 1942 - 8 Nov 1942)
Westwall (8 Nov 1942 - 16 Dec 1942)
Neuland (4 Mar 1943 - 13 Mar 1943)
Dränger (14 Mar 1943 - 20 Mar 1943)
Seewolf (21 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
Without name (11 Jul 1943 - 29 Jul 1943)
Schill 2 (17 Nov 1943 - 22 Nov 1943)
Weddigen (22 Nov 1943 - 29 Nov 1943)
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-86 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
U-boat Emblems
We have 1 emblem entry for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 Coat of Arms |
Media links
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There was another U-86 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 7 Nov 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 30 Nov 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 86 during WWI.
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