german submarine german submarine type boat nazi_germany kriegsmarine operated world war keel laid april yard number launched august commissioned october command conducted patrols career sank enemy vessels damaged ranks successful boats world war scuttled west modern war boat suffered losses crew 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 1st patrol left port wilhelmshaven august boat operated coast lisbon returning port september week period sank ships september stopped french ship examined papers released broadcast event warning boat british steam freighter sunk september opened fire freighter returned fire time fired boat sank torpedoes fired assist survivors radio officer remained post moment leaving found badly injured turner rescued men continuous fire awarded empire gallantry medal september flying irish shelled sunk spite captain irish said sorry sink carrying petrol england crew took burned fiercely risk german submarine approached threw lines towed safety captain damaged occupants allowed board boat captain given stopped american tanker crew board days earlier transferred ships irish british registry 2nd patrol nearly months port left wilhelmshaven command november second patrol boat operate waters northwest norway november issued orders scout location secret german naval base raids allied shipping located provided soviet_union mission required coded messages soviet naval vessels patrolling area preceding soviet escort prospective base location left sunk british submarine hms salmon rounded arrived mid afternoon november running bay avoid spotted merchant vessels order help maintain soviet_union attempted appearance neutrality time captain commented area observed thirty targets harmless completing clandestine reconnaissance mission returned raiding duties sank ships british greek british steam freighter sunk december greek steam freighter destroyed december british steam freighter december operational period half weeks returned wilhelmshaven december 3rd patrol spend considerable time port prior sailing february operations sank ships sent neutral irish steam march single shell point blank range crew lost fishing company british speculated positioned boat fleeing british belief neutral markings protect event followed sinking danish motor march march norwegian motor freighter sunk march sixth final ship sunk patrol finnish steam freighter april nearly weeks high seas returned wilhelmshaven april 4th patrol left home port wilhelmshaven command april sweep waters norway supporting occupation country nazi troops patrol reported problems torpedoes hms fired result return port april naval battles april positioned entrance royal_navy arrived fired hms southampton missing second battle fired torpedoes exploding prematurely 5th patrol fifth patrol depart wilhelmshaven command june patrol waters southern ireland operation hit ships sailing convoy time june sank greek steam freighter mount day sank ships sailing sailing sunk canadian steam freighter followed norwegian motor tanker days later june swedish steam freighter torpedoed sunk belgian steam freighter destroyed june followed greek steam freighter following day weeks sea returned wilhelmshaven july patrol able land nazi agent bay ireland june realising passenger services closed fourteen months earlier asked train dublin arrested interned camp duration war 6th patrol depart wilhelmshaven time august command month long patrol western coast ireland hit sink ships convoy time attack august egyptian liner sunk traveling died british steam freighter hit sunk travelling england final ship hit sixth patrol british steam freighter travelling convoy liverpool united_states weeks sea returned new home port france september 7th patrol patrol seventh overall command departed september attack ships patrol sinking october british motor freighter torpedoed weeks victories successful greek steam freighter october sailing sydney nova scotia england following day british steam freighter damaged sunk traveling convoy sydney england october ships hit sailing convoy british steam freighter following victories returned october 8th patrol depart command december eighth war patrol career involve operations patrol submarine hit sink ships december destroyed british ship december sank swedish motor freighter sailing convoy returned port january 9th patrol spend half months port leaving operations west coast africa april prove successful patrol sinking ships swedish steam freighter torpedoed traveling convoy england united_states following day british motor freighter hit sunk dutch motor freighter sunk traveling convoy british steam freighter torpedoed sunk days later british steam freighter victim following day destruction continued british steam freighter empire protector sent norwegian steam freighter 31st eighth final ship sunk eighth patrol british cargo steamship june boat returned june spending half weeks sea 10th patrol time career head sea new commander left august week patrol north_atlantic time ship hit steam freighter august returned september 11th 12th patrols depart time october command eleventh patrol place north_atlantic period weeks single ship hit traveled boat base bergen norway november later depart bergen 23rd arrive stettin november life active duty december november training boat 24th testing boat scuttled crew took june august august september october november november summary raiding history service kriegsmarine sank commercial ships gross register tons grt damaged grt
German submarine U-38 (1938)