German submarine U-37 (1938)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-37.

U-37 at Lorient in 1940
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-37
Ordered29 July 1936
BuilderDeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number942
Laid down15 March 1937
Launched14 May 1938
Commissioned4 August 1938
FateScuttled, 8 May 1945
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXA submarine
Displacement
  • 1,032 t (1,016 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,153 t (1,135 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 10,500 nmi (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 65–78 nmi (120–144 km; 75–90 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament
Service record[1][2]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 21 204
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Heinrich Schuch
  • 4 August 1938 – 24 September 1939
  • K.Kapt. Werner Hartmann
  • 25 September 1939 – 6 May 1940
  • Kptlt. Victor Oehrn
  • 6 May – 26 October 1940
  • Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen
  • 26 October 1940 – 2 May 1941
  • Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers
  • 3 May – 15 November 1941
  • Oblt.z.S. Gustav-Adolf Janssen
  • 16 November 1941 – 30 June 1942
  • Oblt.z.S. Albert Lauzemis
  • 1 July 1942 – 3 January 1943
  • Oblt.z.S. Hinrich Kelling
  • 4 January – 19 November 1943
  • Oblt.z.S. Peter Gerlach
  • 20 November 1943 – 8 January 1944
  • Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Seiler
  • 9 January – 21 December 1944
  • Kptlt. Eberhard von Wenden
  • 22 December 1944 – 5 May 1945
Operations:
  • 11 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 19 August – 15 September 1939
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 5 October – 8 November 1939
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 28 January – 27 February 1940
  • 4th patrol:
  • 30 March – 18 April 1940
  • 5th patrol:
  • 15 May – 9 June 1940
  • 6th patrol:
  • 1 – 12 August 1940
  • 7th patrol:
  • 17 – 30 August 1940
  • 8th patrol:
  • 24 September – 22 October 1940
  • 9th patrol:
  • 28 November 1940 – 7 January 1941
  • 10th patrol:
  • 30 January – 18 February 1941
  • 11th patrol:
  • 27 February – 22 March 1941
Victories:
  • 53 merchant ships sunk
    (200,063 GRT)
  • 2 warships sunk
    (2,404 tons)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (9,494 GRT)

German submarine U-37 was a Type IXA[3] U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II.[1] The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1937 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, launched on 14 May 1938, and commissioned on 4 August 1938 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schuch as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla.[1]

Between August 1939 and March 1941, U-37 conducted eleven combat patrols, sinking 53 merchant ships, for a total of 200,063 gross register tons (GRT); and two warships, the British Hastings-class sloop HMS Penzance, and the French submarine Sfax (Q182).[1] U-37 was then withdrawn from front-line service and assigned to training units until the end of the war. On 8 May 1945 the U-boat was scuttled in Sonderburg Bay, off Flensburg.[1] U-37 was the sixth most successful U-boat in World War II.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXA boat U-37". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-37". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type IX". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Most Successful U-boats". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2024.