U-66 (left) and U-117 under attack by aircraft from USS Card on 7 August 1943 |
| History |
|---|
| Nazi Germany |
|---|
| Name | U-66 |
| Ordered | 7 August 1939 |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 985 |
| Laid down | 20 March 1940 |
| Launched | 10 October 1940 |
| Commissioned | 2 January 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk 6 May 1944 west of the Cape Verde Islands by US aircraft and warships |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Class & type | Type IXC U-boat |
| Displacement |
- 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
- 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
|
| Length | |
| Beam |
- 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
- 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
- 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
- 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
- 18.3 kn (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced
- 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
|
| Range |
- 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
- 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
|
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament | |
| Service record |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: |
M 21 181 |
| Commanders: |
- Kptlt. / K.Kapt. Richard Zapp
- 2 January 1941 – 21 June 1942
- Kptlt. Friedrich Markworth
- 22 June 1942 – 1 September 1943
- Oblt.z.S.d.R. Paul Ferks
- 6 August – 1 September 1943
- Oblt.z.S. Gerhard Seehausen
- 2 September 1943 – 6 May 1944
|
| Operations: |
- 9 patrols:
- 1st patrol:
- 13 May – 11 June 1941
- 2nd patrol:
- 23 June – 5 August 1941
- 3rd patrol:
- 28 August – 9 November 1941
- 4th patrol:
- 25 December 1941 – 10 February 1942
- 5th patrol:
- 21 March – 27 May 1942
- 6th patrol:
- 23 June – 29 September 1942
- 7th patrol (aborted):
- 9 – 11 Nov 1942
- 7th patrol (official):
- 6 January – 24 March 1943
- 8th patrol:
- 27 April – 1 September 1943
- 9th patrol:
- 16 January – 6 May 1944
|
| Victories: |
- 33 merchant ships sunk
(200,021 GRT)
- 2 merchant ships damaged
(22,674 GRT)
- 2 warships damaged
(64 tons)
|
German submarine U-66 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 20 March 1940 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen, launched on 10 October and commissioned on 2 January 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Richard Zapp as part of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla.
