⚓ Shipwrecks Map

U-506 1943

U-506: U-505chicago
Image: Jeremy Atherton, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).

Key facts

NameU-506Wikidata label
Year lost1943Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier
EraSecond World Warderived from year
Ship typeU-boatWikidata P31 instance of
Nationality / flagNazi GermanyWikidata P8047 country of registry
OperatorKriegsmarineWikidata P137 operator
ConflictBattle of the AtlanticWikidata P607 conflict
Sea / oceanNorth Atlantic OceanNatural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon
Position42.5000, -16.5000Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0)

About the wreck

German submarine U-506 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 July 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 296, launched on 20 June 1941 and commissioned on 15 September 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann.

After completing her training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla based at Stettin, U-506 was transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 February 1942. She sank 14 ships, three were classified as 'damaged' another vessel was declared a 'total loss'. The submarine's missions, particularly the sinking of the merchant ship Heredia and later involvement in the so-called Laconia Incident is chronicled in the 2016 book So Close to Home.

She was sunk in the Atlantic on 12 July 1943 by depth charges dropped by a US B-24 Liberator.

Location

  • Recorded position: 42.5000, -16.5000 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
  • Sea / ocean: North Atlantic Ocean

Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.

OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article German submarine U-506 (revision 1367323116), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.

Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).

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Browse more: Open ocean wrecks · North Atlantic Ocean · Second World War

Further reading