U-600

Type

VIIC

Ordered

22 May, 1940

Laid down

25 Jan, 1941

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 576)

Launched

16 Oct, 1941

Commissioned

11 Dec, 1941

Kptlt. Bernhard Zurmühlen

Commanders

11 Dec, 1941 - 25 Nov, 1943

KrvKpt. Bernhard Zurmühlen

Career

6 patrols

11 Dec, 1941 - 31 Jul, 1942 5. Flottille (training)
1 Aug, 1942 - 25 Nov, 1943 3. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

5 ships sunk for a total of 28.600 GRT
3 ships damaged for a total of 19.230 GRT

Fate

Sunk 25 Nov, 1943 in the North Atlantic north of Ponta Delgada, in position 40.31N, 22.07W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Bazely and HMS Blackwood. 54 dead (all hands lost).

See the 8 ships hit by U-600 - View the 6 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-600 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Draufgänger (1 Dec, 1942 - 11 Dec, 1942)
   Raufbold (15 Dec, 1942 - 22 Dec, 1942)
   Knappen (18 Feb, 1943 - 26 Feb, 1943)
   Raubgraf (7 Mar, 1943 - 20 Mar, 1943)
   Drossel (30 Apr, 1943 - 9 May, 1943)

Attacks on this boat

14 Jun, 1943
At 20.15 hours, a group of 3 outbound boats (U-257, U-600 and U-615) was strafed by the British Fortress aircraft FK212 (220 Sqdn RAF/V, pilot F/O C.F. Callender) in the Bay of Biscay. U-600 and U-615 observed AA hits on the aircraft and claimed it as shot down, but the Fortress was apparently finished off by a German Ju88C fighter (15./KG 40, pilot Lt Lothar Wolff) about 90km northwest of Cape Ortegal at 20.40 hours. All nine crewmen were lost. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman/Goss)

16 Jun, 1943
At 09.04 hours, a group of 3 outbound boats was attacked by the British Liberator Mk.V aircraft FL973 (59 Sqdn RAF/C, pilot F/O E.E. Allen, RCAF) northwest of Cape Finisterre. The aircraft dropped six depth charges on U-600 in the centre and caused minor damages, but was hit four times by AA fire from all boats. Strafing from the rear gunner killed one crewman [Matrosengefreiter Georg Laub]. As the pilot flew away to examine the damages, the boats began to dive. The aircraft dropped its remaining depth charges ahead of the swirl of the starboard boat before leaving for the base. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

2 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

16 Jun, 1943
Aircraft H from RAF Squadron 547 attacked the boat killing one man. The gunners managed to bring the aircraft down. [Matrosengefreiter Georg Laub]

Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -