German submarine U-565 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 30 March 1940 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg as yard number 541, launched on 20 February 1941 and commissioned on 10 April 1941 under Oberleutnant Johann Jebsen.

Design German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-565 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 BBC 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-565 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history The boat's service began on 10 April 1941 with training as part of the 1st U-boat Flotilla. She was transferred to the 29th flotilla on 1 January 1942 in the Mediterranean where she remained until being scuttled in 1944. In 20 patrols she sank three merchant ships, for a total of , plus two warships sunk and another two merchant ships damaged.

Wolfpacks She took part in two wolfpacks, namely: Arnauld (5 – 18 November 1941) Wal (10 – 12 November 1942)

Fate U-565 was badly damaged by bombs dropped by US aircraft on 19 and 24 September 1944 in the Mediterranean near Skaramanga in Greece. She was scuttled on 30 September 1944 at Skaramanga Bay.

Summary of raiding history DateShip NameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate11 March 19425,450Sunk23 April 1942Kirkland1,361Sunk18 December 19421,540Sunk24 February 1943Nathanael Greene7,176Damaged27 February 1943Seminole10,389Damaged20 April 1943Michigan5,594Sunk20 April 1943Sidi-Bel-Abbès4,392Sunk

See also Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War II)

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