German submarine U-48 (1939)

U-52, a typical Type VIIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-48
Ordered	21 November 1936[1]
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Cost	4,439,000 Reichsmark
Yard number	583[1]
Laid down	10 March 1937[1]
Launched	8 March 1939[1]
Commissioned	22 April 1939[1]
Decommissioned	October 1943
Fate	Scuttled, 3 May 1945 off Neustadt[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIB U-boat
Displacement	753 t (741 long tons) surfaced 857 t (843 long tons) submerged
Length	66.50 m (218 ft 2 in) o/a 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range	8,700 nmi (16,112 km; 10,012 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft). Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	Gruppenhorchgerät
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 torpedoes or 26 TMA or 39 TMB mines 1 × 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun with 220 rounds 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	7th U-boat Flotilla 22 April 1939 – 30 June 1941 26th U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1941 – 31 March 1942 21st U-boat Flotilla 1 April 1942 - 31 October 1943
Identification codes:	M 27 354
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Herbert Schultze 22 April 1939 – 20 May 1940 K.Kapt. Hans-Rudolf Rösing 21 May – 3 September 1940 Kptlt. Heinrich Bleichrodt 4 September – 16 December 1940 Kptlt. Herbert Schultze 17 December – 27 July 1941 Oblt.z.S. Siegfried Atzinger August 1941 – September 1942 Oblt.z.S. Diether Todenhagen 26 September – October 1943
Operations:	12 patrols: 1st patrol: 19 August – 17 September 1939 2nd patrol: 4 – 25 October 1939 3rd patrol: 20 November – 20 December 1939 4th patrol: 24 January – 26 February 1940 5th patrol: 3 – 20 April 1940 6th patrol: 26 May – 29 June 1940 7th patrol: 7 – 28 August 1940 8th patrol: 8 – 25 September 1940 9th patrol: 5 – 27 October 1940 10th patrol: 20 January – 27 February 1941 11th patrol: 17 March – 8 April 1941 12th patrol: a. 22 May – 17 June 1941 b. 19 – 21 June 1941
Victories:	51 merchant ships sunk (306,874 GRT) 1 warship sunk (1,060 tons) 3 merchant ships damaged (20,480 GRT)

German submarine U-48 was a Type VIIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, and the most successful that was commissioned. During her two years of active service, U-48 sank 52 ships for a total of 306,874 GRT and 1,060 tons; she also damaged three more for a total of 20,480 GRT over twelve war patrols conducted during the opening stages of the Battle of the Atlantic.

U-48 was built at the Germaniawerft in Kiel as yard number 583 during 1938 and 1939, being completed a few months before the outbreak of war in September 1939 and given to Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Herbert Schultze. When war was declared, she was already in position in the North Atlantic, and received the news via radio, allowing her to operate immediately against Allied shipping.