german submarine german submarine type boat nazi_germany kriegsmarine world war submarine laid march yard bremen launched commissioned august command 6th boat flotilla august march conducted combat patrols sinking merchant ships total gross register tons grt warships british hastings class sloop hms french submarine withdrawn line service assigned training units end war boat scuttled bay sixth successful boat world war design original german type submarines later designated displacement tonnes long tons surface tonnes long tons submerged boat total length pressure hull length beam height draught submarine powered man stroke cylinder diesel engines producing total metric horsepower shp use surfaced double acting electric motors producing total metric horsepower shp use submerged shafts propellers boat capable operating depths metres submarine maximum surface speed knots mph maximum submerged speed knots mph submerged boat operate nautical miles knots mph surfaced travel nautical miles knots mph fitted torpedo tubes fitted bow stern torpedoes naval gun rounds anti aircraft gun boat complement service history patrol left wilhelmshaven command august boat operated nearly weeks north_atlantic returning port september second patrol left wilhelmshaven october conduct operations north_atlantic command patrol sank ships british greek french swedish including british steam freighter yorkshire traveling allied convoy sailing returned boat port november nearly weeks sea patrol january reassigned 2nd boat flotilla based wilhelmshaven january boat departed north_atlantic command previous patrol sank ships time british norwegian danish french greek ships convoy time returned wilhelmshaven february fourth patrol departed wilhelmshaven march consecutive patrol time norway proved successful sinking ships patrolling weeks boat returned wilhelmshaven april fifth patrol new captain departed wilhelmshaven patrol portugal spain successful mission hitting ships sinking french ships sunk greek british swedish finnish british ship damaged half weeks sea returned wilhelmshaven june neutral ship sailing cargo surfaced stopped examined papers sank charges crew left died survived sixth patrol sailed wilhelmshaven august command week half long patrol atlantic west coast ireland resulted sinking single british ship returned port august head wilhelmshaven france 2nd boat flotilla based seventh patrol time began patrol location germany august command focus operations south west coast ireland seven ships sunk voyage british norwegian greek ships convoy british traveling britain united_states convoy british sloop hms sailing sydney nova_scotia canada united_kingdom weeks sea returned august eighth patrol september departed fourth patrol sail north_atlantic month long operation sank ships convoy time attack british ships sailing british flag sixth egypt british ship sunk sailing liverpool north_america sailing sailing liverpool north_america british general sunk sailing convoy sailing britain north_america fourth ship sunk british sailing convoy halifax united_kingdom boat returned october ninth patrol month port departed new captain november operations north west africa spain seven ships sunk patrol french swedish british spanish seven ships convoy time sinking british sailing convoy britain gibraltar french vessels submarine belonged sunk error weeks high seas returned january tenth eleventh patrols left january patrol coast portugal february spotted convoy day sank british ships merchant vessel sank tenth patrol british ship february boat returned february spending days sea sinking tons shipping final time february patrol took waters south iceland sank vessels greek cargo ship mentor march 12th spending days sea entered port kiel march training boat reassigned 26th boat flotilla based russia training boat transferred 22nd boat flotilla based poland april finally 4th boat flotilla july remained end war scuttled crew british war propaganda film 49th parallel uses german submarine crew comes ashore canada craft shown blown film released shortly real went active service summary raiding history
German submarine U-37 (1938)