U-656
Type | VIIC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 9 Oct 1939 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 4 Sep 1940 | Howaldtswerke Hamburg AG, Hamburg (werk 805) | ||||||||
| Launched | 8 Jul 1941 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 17 Sep 1941 | Kptlt. Ernst Kröning | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 2 patrols |
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| Successes | No ships sunk or damaged | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 1 March, 1942 in the North Atlantic south of Cape Race, in position 46.15N, 53.15W, by depth charges from a US Hudson aircraft (Sqdn VP 82). 45 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-656 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Schlei (17 Jan 1942 - 24 Jan 1942)
Attacks on this boat
1 Mar 1942
The sinking of U-656
The boat was bombed and sunk by a PBO-1 Hudson (VP-82 USN, pilot Ens William Tepuni, USNR) on an anti-submarine sweep from Argentia south of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The PBO-1 Hudsons were 20 Hudson Mk.IIIA diverted from Lend-Lease to equip the VP-82 USN, which sank the first two U-boats sunk by US forces, U-656 on 1 March and U-503 on 15 March 1942.
1 recorded attack on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-656 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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