German submarine U-66 (1940)

U-66 and U-117 under attack by aircraft from USS Block Island on 7 August 1943
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-66
Ordered:	7 August 1939
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number:	985
Laid down:	20 March 1940
Launched:	10 October 1940
Commissioned:	2 January 1941
Fate:	Sunk 6 May 1944 west of the Cape Verde Islands by US aircraft and warships
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type IXC U-boat
Displacement:	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length:	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height:	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught:	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power:	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Range:	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Complement:	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament:	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record
Part of:	2nd U-boat Flotilla 2 January 1941 – 6 May 1944
Identification codes:	M 24 266
Commanders:	Kptlt. Richard Zapp 2 January 1941 – 21 June 1942 Kptlt. Friedrich Markworth 22 June 1942 – 1 September 1943 Oblt.z.S.d.R. Paul Ferks 6 August – 1 September 1943 Oblt.z.S. Gerhard Seehausen 2 September 1943 – 6 May 1944
Operations:	Nine: 1st patrol: 13 May – 11 June 1941 2nd patrol: 23 June – 5 August 1941 3rd patrol: 28 August – 9 November 1941 4th patrol: 25 December 1941 – 10 February 1942 5th patrol: 21 March – 27 May 1942 6th patrol: 23 June – 29 September 1942 7th patrol: 6 January – 24 March 1943 8th patrol: 7 April – 1 September 1943 9th patrol: 16 January – 6 May 1944
Victories:	33 commercial ships sunk (200,021 GRT) two commercial ships damaged (22,674 GRT) two warships damaged (64 tons)

German submarine U-66 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 20 March 1940 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen, launched on 10 October and commissioned on 2 January 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Richard Zapp as part of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla.

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-66 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).