U-boat

:"U-boat" is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives

World War II

During World War II, U-boat warfare was the major component of the Battle of the Atlantic, which lasted the duration of the war. Germany had the largest submarine fleet in World War II, due to the Treaty of Versailles which limited the surface navy of Germany to six battleships (of less than 10,000 tonnes), six cruisers and 12 destroyers. Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister for most of the war, was quoted as saying, "The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril." During the early stages of the war, and soon after the United States' entry into the war, the U-boats were extremely effective in destroying allied shipping, coming up to the Atlantic coast of the United States and even the Gulf of Mexico. Advances in convoy tactics, radar, sonar (called Asdic in England), depth charges, the cracking of the German Enigma code, the introduction of the Leigh Light and the range of escort aircraft turned the tide against the U-boats. In the end, the U-boat fleet suffered extremely heavy casualties, losing 743 U-boats and about 30,000 submariners (a 75% casualty rate).

Related Topics:
Battle of the Atlantic - Treaty of Versailles - Battleships - Cruisers - Destroyers - Winston Churchill - United Kingdom - Radar - Sonar - Depth charge - Enigma code - Leigh Light

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During World War II, the Kriegsmarine produced many different types of U-boats as technology evolved.

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• Type I
• Type II
• Type V
• Type VII
• Type IX
• Type X
• Type XIV
• Type XVII
• Type XVIII
• Type XXI
• Type XXIII

U-505 was a Type IXC, notable for its capture by the United States Navy in 1944. It is presently a museum ship in Chicago, Illinois at the Museum of Science and Industry. The capture of U-505 was critical due to the capture of her codebooks, which provided the Allies with the ability to read recent German codes. U-110, a Type IXB, had been captured in 1941 by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, allowing the British to decipher the German Enigma code before the entry of the US into World War II.

Related Topics:
U-505 - Type IXC - United States Navy - 1944 - Museum ship - Chicago, Illinois - Museum of Science and Industry - German - U-110 - 1941 - United Kingdom - Royal Navy - Enigma code

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On 2 November 1942, U-518, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wissman, attacked two ore carriers at Bell Island, Newfoundland that were shipping iron ore from the island's mines to feed the allied war effort. The attack began at 3:30 a.m. and S.S. Rosecastle and P.L.M 27 were sunk with the loss of 69 lives. However, one of the most dramatic incidents of the attack occurred after the sinkings when the submarine fired a torpedo at the loading pier. Bell Island became the only location in North America to be subject to direct attack by German forces in World War II.

Related Topics:
2 November - 1942 - Bell Island - Newfoundland - North America

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