What was the deadliest German U-boat?

One of Adolf Hitler's deadly submarines, the U-505, is seized as it makes its way home after patrolling the Gold Coast of Africa on June 4, 1944. The German submarine was the first enemy warship captured on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812.

Who was the most successful U-boat captain in ww2?

Kretschmer (1912–1998) was the most successful of the World War II Aces of the Deep. As commander of U-35, U-23 and U-99 he sank 47 merchant ships in a remarkably short period of time, before being captured in March 1941 and spending the rest of the war in the Bowmanville POW camp, Canada.

Which ship sank the most U-boats in ww2?

Yet the world's record for sinking submarines belongs not to a destroyer or an aircraft carrier, but a humble destroyer escort. The USS England sank six Japanese submarines in just 12 days in May 1944.

Who killed the most U-boats?

Of the U-boats, 519 were sunk by British, Canadian, or other allied forces, while 175 were destroyed by American forces; 15 were destroyed by the Soviets and 73 were scuttled by their crews before the end of the war for various reasons.

Top 10 Most Successful and Top Scoring uboats of WWII

Did any U-boats survived the entire war?

Two U-boats that survived Operation Deadlight are today museum ships. U-505 was earmarked for scuttling, but American Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery argued successfully that she did not fall under Operation Deadlight.

Who is the most famous U-boat commander?

Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (1886–1941) was the most successful U-boat commander of World War I and of any submarine commander in history. Between 1915–18, he made 14 patrols in command of U-35, sinking 189 merchant vessels and two gunboats.

How many German submarines were lost in WWII?

In World War II Germany built 1,162 U-boats, of which 785 were destroyed and the remainder surrendered (or were scuttled to avoid surrender) at the capitulation. Of the 632 U-boats sunk at sea, Allied surface ships and shore-based aircraft accounted for the great majority (246 and 245 respectively).

Was Hitler's U-boat ever found?

In 2014, researchers found the remains of U-576 off the coast of North Carolina, and just last year, the notorious German World War I U-boat UB-29 was found off the coast of Belgian.

What happened to the crew of U-505?

All but one of U-505's crew were rescued by the Navy task group. The submarine was towed to Bermuda in secret and her crew were interned at a US prisoner of war camp, where they were denied access to International Red Cross visits.

Has a submarine ever torpedoed another submarine?

German submarine U-864 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in World War II. On 9 February 1945, it became the only submarine in history to be sunk by an enemy submarine while both were submerged.

Who had the best submarines in World War II?

The best record of any US submarine

Commissioned in 1943, USS Tang was a Balao-class diesel-electric submarine with a crew of 87 and an arsenal of 24 torpedoes. Its commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Richard O'Kane, had served on five war patrols as the executive officer of the highly successful USS Wahoo.

Why did submariners eat lemons?

His reported experiment on board a naval ship in 1747 showed that oranges and lemons were a cure for scurvy.

Was Das Boot a true story?

Originally released in 1981, the film Das Boot is based on the true story of a German Submarine and its crew during World War II…a chillingly detailed look at the rigors of war in a U-boat.

Who was the most successful in ww2?

Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erich Hartmann was exceedingly good at aerial combat. While serving in Germany's Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills.

Are there any U-boat captains still alive?

The last U-boat captain has died at 105. The last surviving German U-boat captain, who terrorized the Atlantic off North Carolina's Outer Banks early in World War II, has died at age 105. Reinhard Hardegen, who once described his exploits to the Observer decades after the war, died June 9, the Washington Post reported.

How many German U-boats are still missing?

A U-boat of this type, listed for decades as being sunk off Gibraltar, was found on the sea bottom about 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey in 1991. According to the definitive website Uboat.org, a total of 50 German U-boats remained unaccounted for after the end of World War II.

How long would a German U-boat stay at sea?

The Germans' most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time.

How long could ww2 Subs stay submerged?

Model of the USS Balao (SS-285) Fleet Submarine

Two 126-cell battery groups gave her a submerged top speed of 8.75 knots (16.2 km/hr); holding her speed to 2 knots (4 km/hr), she could remain submerged for 48 hours.

Which aircraft sank the most ships in ww2?

The Swordfish sank more tonnage than any other Allied plane during the World War II.

How many US battleships are left?

There are only four of them left--the Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Jersey--all launched during World War II, when the Navy had a total of 23 battleships.