German submarine U-646
German submarine U-646 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 23 December 1941 at the Blohm & Voss yard at Hamburg, launched on 3 September 1942, and commissioned on 29 October 1942 under the command of Leutnant zur See d.R. Heinrich Wulff.
Attached to 5th U-boat Flotilla based at Kiel, U-646 completed her training period on 31 March 1943 and was assigned to front-line service.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-646 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to.The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at. U-646 was fitted with five torpedo tubes, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one twin C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.