German submarine U-6 (1935)

U-1, the first Type II boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-6
Ordered	2 February 1935
Builder	Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Cost	1,500,000 Reichsmark
Yard number	241
Laid down	11 February 1935
Launched	21 August 1935
Commissioned	7 September 1935
Decommissioned	7 August 1944 at Gotenhafen
Fate	Stricken, 7 August 1944
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IIA coastal submarine
Displacement	254 t (250 long tons) surfaced 303 t (298 long tons) submerged 381 t (375 long tons) total
Length	40.90 m (134 ft 2 in) (o/a) 27.80 m (91 ft 2 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught	3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Installed power	700 PS (510 kW; 690 shp) (diesels) 360 PS (260 kW; 360 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shafts 2 × 0.85 m (2 ft 9 in) three-bladed propellers 2 × diesel engines 2 × double-acting electric motors
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph) submerged
Range	1,050 nmi (1,940 km; 1,210 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35 nmi (65 km; 40 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 22 men
Armament	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	U-boat School Flotilla 1 September 1935 – 1 September 1939 1 October 1939 – 1 February 1940 1 March – 1 April 1940 1 May – 30 June 1940 21st U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1940 - 7 August 1944
Identification codes:	M 00 130
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Ludwig Mathes 7 September 1935 – 30 September 1937 Oblt.z.S. Werner Heidel 1 October 1937 – 17 December 1938 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt.Joachim Matz 17 December 1938 – 26 November 1939 Oblt.z.S. Hans-Bernhard Michalowski November – December 1939 Oblt.z.S. Otto Harms 27 November 1939 – 17 January 1940 Oblt.z.S. Adalbert Schnee 31 January – 10 July 1940 Kptlt.Georg Peters June – July 1940 Oblt.z.S. Johannes Liebe 11 July 1940 – March 1941 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Eberhard Bopst March – September 1941 Herbert Brüninghaus October 1941 – August 1942 Oblt.z.S. Paul Just August – September 1942 Oblt.z.S. Herbert Brüninghaus September – 19 October 1942 Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Otto Niethmann 20 October 1942 – June 1943 Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Alois König June 1943 – 16 April 1944 Lt.z.S. Horst Heitz August – October 1943 Lt.z.S. Erwin Jestel[1] 17 April – 9 July 1944
Operations:	2 patrols: 1st patrol: 24 August – 13 September 1939 2nd patrol: 4 – 19 Apr 1940
Victories:	No ships sunk or damaged

The German submarine U-6 was a long-lived but very inactive Type IIA U-boat built before World War II for service in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine.

As she was one of the first batch of boats built following the renunciation of the Treaty of Versailles, she was capable of only coastal and short cruising work. This led to her being reassigned to training duties after the Norwegian campaign in 1940.