German submarine U-206

German submarine U-206 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 June 1940 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 635, launched on 4 April 1941 and commissioned on 17 May under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Opitz.

She was possibly sunk in November 1941 by a British-laid minefield.

Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-206 had a displacement of 769 t when at the surface and 871 t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m, a pressure hull length of 50.50 m, a beam of 6.20 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.74 m. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2800 to 3200 PS for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 m.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 8500 nmi at 10 kn. U-206 was fitted with five 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

The partner city (Patenstadt) that sponsored the construction of the submarine was Reichenberg, and she bore the city's coat of arms.

Service history
Part of the 3rd U-boat Flotilla, U-206 carried out three patrols in the North Atlantic:

First patrol
U-206's first patrol began when she left Trondheim in Norway on 5 August 1941; she travelled through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and headed south, towards the west of Ireland. She sank the Ocean Victor on 9 August south of Iceland.

On 26 August, U-206 rescued (against the regulations ) from two rubber dinghies six British No. 612 Squadron RAF crew of the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk. V, after its engine had failed during an anti-submarine patrol. They were brought to St. Nazaire, and later to POW camps; soon after the rescue, the British were able to smuggle intelligence back to Britain, describing the submarine and the St. Nazaire port. She was the first submarine that brought British POWs to France.

She arrived at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 10 September.

Second patrol
On her second foray, she sank HMS Fleur de Lys (K122) on 14 October 1941 55 nmi west of Gibraltar and the Baron Kelvin, close to the Rock on the 19th.

Third patrol and loss
U-206 was posted missing from 29 November 1941. She is believed to have been the victim of a minefield laid by the RAF, (code-named 'Beech'), west of St. Nazaire. Forty-six men died; there were no survivors. The men were pronounced dead in March 1942.

Wolfpacks
U-206 took part in four wolfpacks, namely:
 * Grönland (10 – 23 August 1941)
 * Kurfürst (23 August – 2 September 1941)
 * Seewolf (2 – 7 September 1941)
 * Breslau (2 – 23 October 1941)

Location
Since 2018, research to locate the submarine has been ongoing; some twenty possible wrecks have been identified, and dives are planned for 2020.