German submarine U-20 (1936)

U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-20
Ordered	2 February 1935
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel Galați shipyard, Romania
Yard number	550
Laid down	1 August 1935
Launched	14 January 1936
Commissioned	1 February 1936
Fate	Scuttled 11 September 1944, off the coast of Turkey in the Black Sea[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IIB coastal submarine
Displacement	279 t (275 long tons) surfaced 328 t (323 long tons) submerged
Length	42.70 m (140 ft 1 in) o/a 27.80 m (91 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught	3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
Installed power	700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels) 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range	1,800 nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–43 nmi (65–80 km; 40–49 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 22 men
Armament	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	3rd U-boat Flotilla 1 February – 1 August 1939 1 September – 31 December 1939 1st U-boat Flotilla 1 January – 30 April 1940 1st U-boat Training Flotilla 1 May – 30 June 1940 21st U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1940 – 26 August 1942 30th U-boat Flotilla 27 May 1943 – 10 September 1944
Identification codes:	M 29 241
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans Eckermann 1 February 1936 – 30 September 1937 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle 1 October 1937 – 17 January 1940 Kptlt. Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt 17 January – 15 April 1940 Oblt.z.S. Heinrich Driver 2 – 15 April 1940 Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche 16 April – 7 June 1940 Oblt.z.S. Ottokar Arnold Paulshen 8 June 1940 – 5 January 1941 Kptlt. Herbert Schauenburg 6 January – 19 May 1941 Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Sträter 20 May – 4 December 1941 Oblt.z.S. Kurt Nölke 5 December 1941 – 27 March 1942 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Clemens Schöler 7 May – 26 August 1942 27 May – 31 October 1943 Oblt.z.S. Karl Grafen 1 November 1943 – 10 September 1944
Operations:	16 patrols: 1st patrol: a. 24 – 31 August 1939 b. 1 – 20 September 1939 2nd patrol: a. 29 September – 17 October 1939 b. 6 – 7 November 1939 3rd patrol: 18 – 24 November 1939 4th patrol: 7 – 13 December 1939 5th patrol: 6 – 16 January 1940 6th patrol: a. 21 January 1940 b. 23 – 31 January 1940 c. 4 February 1940 7th patrol: 27 February – 4 March 1940 8th patrol: a. 14 – 20 March 1940 b. 21 – 22 March 1940 9th patrol: 22 – 29 June 1943 10th patrol: 11 July – 7 August 1943 11th patrol: a. 16 – 22 September 1943 b. 24 September – 12 October 1943 12th patrol: 8 November – 9 December 1943 13th patrol: 1 – 26 January 1944 14th patrol: a. 22 February – 1 March 1944 b. 2 – 27 March 1944 15th patrol: 11 June – 11 July 1944 16th patrol: 19 August – 10 September 1944
Victories:	12 merchant ships sunk (30,058 GRT) 1 warship sunk (9 tons) 2 merchant ships total loss (8,446 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (1,846 GRT)

German submarine U-20 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Her keel was laid down on 1 August 1935, by Germaniawerft of Kiel as yard number 550. She was commissioned on 1 February 1936. During World War II, she conducted operations against enemy shipping.

U-20 went on 16 war patrols, sinking 13 ships totalling 30,058 GRT and 9 tons , damaging one more of 1,846 GRT.