What does U-boat mean?

Unterseeboot
U-boat, German U-boot, abbreviation of Unterseeboot, (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II.

Where are the U-boat pens in France?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The submarine base of Saint-Nazaire is one of five large fortified U-boat pens built by Germany during the Second World War in occupied Saint-Nazaire, France.

What was the home base of the German submarine?

Dora I (Dora 1) is a former German submarine base and submarine pen or bunker built in Trondheim, Norway. Construction of the bunker (designated by the Germans as DORA I) was undertaken during the Second World War.

How deep can boats go?

What is the maximum depth to which submarines can dive? All modern German submarines are tested for a depth of 197 feet, but for short periods they can go deeper. Cases are known of boats having dived to 250 to 300 feet without injury.

Are there any U-boats left?

Despite their prevalence during WWI and WWII, only four U-boats exist today. Preserved as museum vessels, these “undersea boats” are the last reminders of the Battle of the Atlantic, and the thousands of men who died in these “Iron Coffins.”

Where was the first submarine base?

New Suffolk
The hamlet of New Suffolk, New York claims to be the first submarine base in the United States: it served as the base for USS Holland, a submarine launched in May 1897 and several Plunger class submarines launched 1901–1903.

Where were German boats built?

Kiel harbor
Early U-boats (1850–1914) The first submarine built in Germany, the three-man Brandtaucher, sank to the bottom of Kiel harbor on 1 February 1851 during a test dive. The inventor and engineer Wilhelm Bauer had designed this vessel in 1850, and Schweffel & Howaldt constructed it in Kiel.

How long could U boats stay under?

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.

Did U boats have to surface to fire torpedoes?

During the last war, Roberts asked, would you ever have crept among the ships of a convoy to fire a torpedo? “Of course,” replied Horton. “It is the only way of pressing home an attack.” And it must have done so on the surface of the water, where it was able to travel at a faster speed than the ships it pursued.

How many German U-boats are still missing?

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 many men did the U 20 have?

The SM-U20 was built by Kaiserliche Werft Marine in Danzig and launched in 1912. The SM-U20 was a type U-19 submarine. It was 210 feet long, about 20 feet wide and 23 feet from top to bottom. It featured a crew of 31 men and four officers.

Why did the German U-boat U-196 leave Europe?

Generally speaking, high ranking German officials did not start fleeing war torn Europe until total defeat was in sight sometime later. In any case, if the Gestapo received even whiff of a chance they would have met the U-196 upon arrival and more than likely any escapees would have been shot.

What was the name of the German submarine U-977?

Schäffer later wrote a book: U-977 – 66 Tage unter Wasser (“U-977 – 66 Days Under Water”), the first postwar memoir by a former U-boat officer. It was published in 1952, and was translated into English under the title U-boat 977 .

Why was the production of U-boats reduced?

Production of U-boats by German shipyards had been dramatically reduced as a result of bombing by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces, necessitating the creation of bomb-proof production sites.

What was the name of the German you boat?

A message from BdU: Germany had surrendered. All U-boats were ordered to cease hostilities and were to sail to the nearest allied port under a black flag. Nevertheless, U-2511 had the British cruiser HMS Suffolk in its sights.