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

8 Oct 1941	-	14 Dec 1941		Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Radke
20 Dec 1941	-	17 May 1943		KrvKpt. Heinrich Göllnitz

Career
7 patrols

8 Oct 1941	-	28 Feb 1942	8. Flottille (training)
1 Mar 1942	-	30 Jun 1942	3. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jul 1942	-	17 May 1943	11. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

1 ship sunk, total tonnage 5,196 GRT

Fate

Sunk 17 May, 1943 east 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).

See the 1 ships hit by U-657 - View the 7 war patrols

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

27 Apr 1942
The boat was damaged in an Allied air raid on the harbor at Trondheim, Norway. One crew member was injured.

14 May 1943
The boat was unsuccessfully attacked by an American Catalina aircraft (USN VP-84) east of Cape Farewell. (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 living quarters ship Black Prince on 14 Dec, 1941. That fire killed 28 men. The boat was still going through trials at the time.

14 Apr 1942
One men died in an accident in the shipyard at Trondheim, Norway. [Fähnrich zur See Alfred von Tirpitz]

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