german submarine german submarine type boat served nazi_germany kriegsmarine world war submarine laid december yard bremen launched october commissioned november command successful boats operate arctic waters operated norway france sailing combat patrols sinking merchant ships totalling grt damaging grt written total loss sank tons class destroyer escort uss end war surrendered british sunk operation december construction ordered kriegsmarine september laid year later december yard bremen yard number launched october commissioned november year command design german type submarines preceded shorter type submarines displacement tonnes long tons surface tonnes long tons submerged total length pressure hull length beam height draught submarine powered 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 fourteen torpedoes naval gun rounds anti aircraft gun boat complement service history period training 8th boat flotilla based baltic_sea transferred 11th boat flotilla based bergen line service july patrol june sailed kiel command arriving 20th departed patrol june sailing north russia kill july sinking ton ship miles ship route baltimore tons ammunition tanks aboard convoy dispersed admiralty orders july hit torpedoes ship broke sank minutes crew abandoned ship fell overboard drowned questioned survivors offered food water gave directions nearest land left crew picked royal_navy ships july day july sank ton american single torpedo struck ship causing vessel list heavily starboard crew abandoned ship minutes questioned crew began shell ship distance metres firing shells survivors said ship sank crewmen rescued soviet patrol boats later day early july caught ship ton american merchant ship loaded tons explosives gasoline trucks deck cargo single torpedo hit ship blowing bulkheads killing seven crew surviving crewmen abandoned ship surfaced fired shells ship sank minutes questioned survivors gave course land asked food water leaving survivors landed bay days later july found ton dutch merchant ship abandoned drifting tons general goods ammunition tanks aircraft trucks aboard ship attacked dive bombers iii east north east july day convoy dispersed crew abandoned badly damaged ship believing sink crew taken days reach land eventually rescued soviet vessel finding mates boarded ship attempted start engines engine room flooded searched vessel taking blankets cigarettes useful materials including confidential documents found bridge ship ensign prize ship sunk single torpedo returned july second patrol left july arriving bergen 20th sailed bergen august second combat patrol heading deep soviet waters success shelled soviet wireless stations arriving norwegian finnish border september patrol sailed september patrolling result heading september attacked ton american merchant ship returning new_york tons hides ore deck cargo wood pulp hit torpedoes blew stern post propeller rudder caused magazine explode crew passengers survivors abandoned ship ship shelled class destroyer sank crew later picked british ships man dying wounds later days later september attacked patrol aircraft squadron raf south badly damaged depth charges forced return bergen arriving 25th 4th patrol september sailed bergen arriving kiel october submarine fitted underwater breathing apparatus sailing january arriving northern norway 18th returning old hunting grounds north norway sailed january 26th likely sank ton soviet merchant ship torpedoes west russian ship evaded pursuing went missing probably sunk submarine recorded loss day sinking unknown merchant ship likely surfaced tried question survivors spoke russian understood result crew unable confirm identity vessel january sank russian freighter ton south loaded timber destined united_states survivors found ship survivors unknown russian merchant vessel sunk crew members afternoon february miles northeast iceland fired torpedoes convoy route new_york hit ton american merchant ship ship attempted evade attack waterline immediately flooded began list starboard minutes crew passengers abandoned ship british escort shelled sank crippled ship arrived february 5th patrol sailed february northern seas march fired spread torpedoes sailing scotland hit american merchant ships ton loaded tons potassium ton liberty ship carrying tons lumber executive struck starboard explosion demolished engine equipment immediate area hold rapidly flooded ship began settle stern crew killed remaining abandoned ship ship sunk gunfire destroyer hour attack struck torpedo explode passed ship making foot holes ship remained convoy slightly reduced speed night march lost contact gale force winds rough seas proceeded iceland days later march found vessel miles iceland hit torpedoes breaking ship forward bridge crew abandoned ship total board master officers crewmen armed guards lost heavy seas stern section torpedoed sank forward section towed iceland ship declared total loss returned arriving march 6th patrol sailed march patrol successes arriving bergen april june transferred newly created 13th boat flotilla based submarine base trondheim 7th patrol command boat june sailed bergen july arriving 16th left july sailed soviet waters july sank ton russian survey ship deck gun small arms fire established secret seaplane base returned september days sea december transferred time 7th boat flotilla based saint france 8th patrol departed bergen february sailing northern atlantic greenland iceland march miles south iceland located convoy detected navy destroyer escort ship turned investigate contact hit acoustic torpedo crew abandoned ship sank hours survivors picked sister ship crew hunted escorts hours managed slip away april boat caught surface escort british aircraft turn attacked german aircraft reached new home port later day minor damage 9th 10th patrols short patrols june successes began ninth patrol left recalled home port days fully sea tenth patrol suffer fate ninth left june day normandy landings recalled home june days sea patrols damaged air raid august decommissioned repairs transferred 13th boat flotilla march recommissioned march command series short patrols april early laying mines 15th patrol began final voyage command day german surrender sailing scotland arriving formal surrender took july august january february april april march post war fate transferred operation towed sea hms december sunk aircraft squadron raf rockets position south west ireland raiding history service nazi germany kriegsmarine sank commercial ships grt warship grt sank commercial ship total loss grt
German submarine U-255