German submarine U-564 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during the Second World War.

She was launched on 7 February 1941 and commissioned under her first commander Oberleutnant zur See Reinhard Suhren on 3 April of that year.

The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged.

He damaged the Norwegian tanker Kongsgaard and sank the Dutch Maasdam and the British Malaya II that day.

She escaped damage however, and returned to port at Lorient on 1 November having spent 47 days at sea and sunk three ships for 1,687 and 900 tons.

She sank the Canadian tanker Victolite 260 nautical miles (480 km; 300 mi) northwest of Bermuda on 11 February 1942, and damaged the British tanker Opalia, although not severely (her deck gun firing 83 rounds, but only scoring three hits), on 16 February, before returning to Brest on 6 March, after 48 days on patrol with 11,410 GRT sunk and 6,195 GRT damaged.

[4] U-564 sailed from Brest on 4 April 1942, to cross the Atlantic and prey on shipping off the North American coast, including Florida.

Her final success in American waters was to sink the Mexican tanker Potrero del Llano.

On one of these sorties events took a dramatic turn when the U-boat lost a crewman, Fähnrich zur See (Ensign) Heinrich Fuerhake.

[4] A Royal Air Force Short Sunderland spotted the boats and attacked them off Cape Finisterre at 18.59 hours on 13 June.

[4] U-564 took part in six wolfpacks, namely: An Armstrong Whitworth Whitley sighted the two U-boats in the Bay of Biscay the following day and shadowed them.