German submarine U-246

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-246
Ordered	10 April 1941
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number	680
Laid down	30 November 1942
Launched	7 December 1943
Commissioned	11 January 1944
Fate	Sunk on 17 March 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.23 m (220 ft 7 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 AA gun 2 × twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns
Service record[1][2]
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla 11 January – 31 July 1944 3rd U-boat Flotilla 1 August – 30 September 1944 11th U-boat Flotilla 1 October 1944 – 17 March 1945
Identification codes:	M 53 307
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ernst Raabe 11 January 1944 – 17 March 1945
Operations:	1st patrol: a. 7 October – 11 November 1944 b. 12 November 1944 2nd patrol: 21 February – 17 March 1945
Victories:	None

German submarine U-246 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 30 November 1942 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel, launched on 7 December 1943 and commissioned on 11 January 1944 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ernst Raabe.

After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-246 was transferred to the 3rd U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 August 1944. However, before the U-boat had sailed on her first combat patrol the flotilla was disbanded, and the U-boat was transferred to the 11th flotilla based at Bergen in Norway, on 1 October 1944. She was sunk on 17 March 1945.