List of most successful German U-boats
Topic: Engineering
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List of successful U-boats contains lists of the most successful German U-boats in the two World Wars based on total tonnage.
World War I
This list contains the 5 most successful German U-boats during the First World War based on total tonnage. Only sunk commercial vessels are included, not military (warships) nor damaged ships.
| Boat | Type | Commissioned | Total tonnage |
Ships sunk |
Patrols | Fate | Captains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. | Type U 31 | 3 November 1914 | 505,121 | 220 | 17 | Surrendered, 26 November 1918 | Waldemar Kophamel Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière Ernst von Voigt Heino von Heimburg |
| Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. | Type U 31 | 13 January 1915 | 404,774 | 149 | 19 | Surrendered, 22 March 1919 | Hans Kratzsch Walter Forstmann Heinrich Metzger |
| Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. | Type U 31 | 15 December 1914 | 287,811 | 134 | 17 | Surrendered, 23 February 1919 | Max Valentiner Wilhelm Canaris Hans Heinrich Wurmbach Clemens Wickel |
| Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. | Type U 31 | 5 October 1914 | 257,652 | 119 | 17 | Missing, 9 November 1918 | Claus Rücker Wilhelm Canaris Johannes Klasing |
| Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. | Type U 51 | 22 April 1916 | 224,314 | 87 | 13 | Surrendered, 1 December 1918 | Hans Rose Otto von Schrader |
World War II
This list contains the 10 most successful German U-boats during the Second World War based on total tonnage. Both commercial and military vessels (warships) are included but only sunk ships are included, not damaged ships.
| Boat | Type | Commissioned | Total tonnage |
Ships sunk |
Patrols | Fate | Captains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| missing name | VIIB | 22 April 1939 | 300,537 | 51 | 12 | Scuttled, 3 May 1945 | Herbert Schultze Hans-Rudolf Rösing Heinrich Bleichrodt |
| missing name | VIIB | 18 April 1940 | 244,658 | 38 | 8 | Scuttled, 17 March 1941 after depth charging by Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist.. | Otto Kretschmer |
| missing name | IXB | 18 April 1940 | 237,596 | 45 | 11 | Decommissioned March 1944. Sunk by bombs in Kiel, 15 April 1945. | Viktor Schütze Werner Winter |
| missing name | IXB | 11 June 1940 | 225,637 | 48 | 11 | Lost with all hands, 2 April 1943 after depth charging by Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. and Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist.. | Georg-Wilhelm Schulz Johann Mohr |
| missing name | IXB | 30 May 1940 | 222,705 | 44 | 12 | Decommissioned 17 June 1944. Scuttled in port, 19 August 1944. Refloated and taken into French service as Blaison. | Karl-Heinz Moehle Reinhard Hardegen Horst von Schroeter |
| missing name | IXB | 8 October 1940 | 217,786 | 39 | 13 | Lost with all hands 18 August 1944 after depth charging by a Sunderland of 201 Squadron RAF. | Günter Hessler Harald Gelhaus Volker Simmermacher Karl-Heinz Fritz |
| missing name | IX | 4 August 1938 | 202,467 | 55 | 11 | Scuttled, 8 May 1945 | Heinrich Schuch Werner Hartmann Victor Oehrn Asmus Nicolai Clausen Ulrich Folkers |
| missing name | IXC | 20 March 1940 | 200,021 | 33 | 9 | Sunk 6 May 1944 by Grumman F4F Wildcats and Grumman TBF Avengers of missing name, rammed by destroyer escort missing name. | Richard Zapp Friedrich Markworth Paul Frerks Gerhard Seehausen |
| missing name | IXC | 11 February 1941 | 197,998 | 33 | 10 | Sunk 10 April 1944, depth charges and rockets fired by F4F Wildcats and TBM Avengers of missing name. | Karl-Friedrich Merten Albert Lauzemis Ekkehard Scherraus Gerhard Seehausen Albert Lauzemis |
| missing name | VIIB | 17 December 1938 | 191,919 | 31 | 10 | Missing with all hands, on or about 7 March 1941 while patrolling south of Iceland between 59 deg and 62 deg north. Reason behind her sinking is still unknown with theories ranging from attacks by corvettes Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. and Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist., mines, mechanical failure, and possibly becoming victim of her own torpedoes. |
Günther Prien |
References
- uboat.net webpage about the most successful U-Boats of World War I - This list does not include military vessels.
- uboat.net webpage about the most successful U-Boats of World War II - This list does not include military vessels and is therefore not identical to list above.
- uboataces.com webpages about the most successful U-Boats of World War II - This list seems to miss U-123 in top 5 list.
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