List of all U-boats

U-657

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered9 Oct 1939
Laid down5 Oct 1940 Howaldtswerke Hamburg AG, Hamburg (werk 806)
Launched12 Aug 1941
Commissioned8 Oct 1941Oblt. 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 (active service)
1 Jul 1942-17 May 1943  11. Flottille (active service)
Successes1 ship sunk, total tonnage 5,196 GRT
Fate

Sunk on 17 May 1943 in the North Atlantic south 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).

Loss position

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 and other events

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

14 May 1943
The boat was attacked by an American Catalina flying boat (USN VP-84) east of Cape Farewell. No damage. (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 submarine depot ship Black Prince on 14 Dec. 1941. 28 men died. The boat was undergoing trials at the time.

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

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

U-boat Emblems

We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


The Polar Bear - 11th Flotilla

Fish and Lion

Media links


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2

Wynn, Kenneth


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


Hitler's U-boat War

Blair, Clay




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