U 25 (Navy)
U 25 (Kriegsmarine) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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Type : | IA |
Field Post Number : | M 10 950 |
Shipyard: | AG Weser , Bremen |
Construction contract: | December 17, 1934 |
Build number: | 903 |
Keel laying: | June 28, 1935 |
Launch: | February 14, 1936 |
Commissioning: | April 6, 1936 |
Commanders: |
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Calls: | 5 patrols |
Sinkings: |
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Whereabouts: | sunk around August 2, 1940 |
U 25 was a German submarine of type IA , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used.
history
The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on December 17, 1934 . The keel was laid on June 28, 1935, the launch on February 14, 1936, the commissioning under Lieutenant Eberhard Godt on April 6, 1936.
After commissioning, the boat belonged to the U-Flotilla “Saltzwedel” in Wilhelmshaven as a service boat and as a school boat to the U-Boat School Flotilla . From the beginning of the war in September 1939 it was used again as a front boat in the U-Flotilla “Saltzwedel”. When the U-Flotilla was reorganized, the boat came to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven on January 1, 1940 , where it served until it disappeared in August 1940.
U 25 undertook five enemy voyages during which it sank eight ships with a total tonnage of 50,255 GRT .
Use statistics
First patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on October 18, 1939 at 1:20 p.m. and returned there on November 13, 1939 at 2:20 p.m. On this 27-day undertaking in the North Atlantic and the Biscay , a ship with 5,874 GRT was sunk.
- October 31, 1939: sinking of the French steamer Baoulé ( Lage ) with 5,874 GRT. The steamer was a G7e - torpedo sunk. He had loaded coffee , cocoa , rubber , etc. and was on the way from Kribi to Bordeaux . The ship belonged to convoy K-20.
Second patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on January 13, 1940 at 1:34 a.m. and returned there on February 19, 1940 at 2:20 p.m. Six ships with a total of 27,335 GRT were sunk on this 38-day operation in the North Atlantic.
- 17th January 1940: sinking of the British steamer Polzella with 4,751 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded iron ore and was on his way from Narvik to Middlesbrough . It was a total loss with 36 dead.
- January 17, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Enid with 1,140 GRT. The steamer was sunk with artillery and a torpedo. He had loaded wood pulp and was on his way from Trondheim to Dublin . There were no losses.
- January 18, 1940: sinking of the Swedish motor ship Pajala ( Lage ) with 6,873 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had loaded 9,150 tons of grain and forage and was on its way to Gothenburg . There were no losses.
- January 22, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Songa with 2,589 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded copper , tin and cotton and was on his way from Philadelphia and Rotterdam to Antwerp . There were no losses.
- 3rd February 1940: sinking of the British steamer Armanistan ( Lage ) with 6,805 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 8,300 tons of freight , including sugar , zinc , chemical products and railroad tracks , and was on the way from Antwerp to Basra . The ship belonged to convoy OG-16 with 37 ships. There were no losses.
- February 13, 1940: sinking of the Danish tanker Chastine Mærsk ( Lage ) with 5,177 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded phosphate and was on his way to Kaulundborg .
Third patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on April 3, 1940 at 1:25 p.m. for the Weser Exercise Company and returned there on May 6, 1940 at 9:15 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 34-day venture in the North Sea , Narvik and the Westfjord.
Fourth patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on June 8, 1940 at 12:00 p.m. and returned there on June 29, 1940 at 8:00 p.m. On this 22-day and approx. 4,270 nm over and 139 nm underwater undertaking in the North Atlantic and the Biscay, an auxiliary cruiser with 17,046 GRT was sunk and a ship with 7,638 GRT was damaged.
- June 13, 1940: Sinking of the British auxiliary cruiser HMS Scotstoun ( Lage ) with 17,046 GRT. The auxiliary cruiser was sunk by two G7a torpedoes. There were six dead and 344 survivors.
- June 19, 1940: Damage to the French tanker Brumaire with 7,638 GRT. The tanker was damaged by a G7e torpedo and sunk by German aircraft on June 20, 1940.
Fifth patrol and whereabouts
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on August 1, 1940 at 8:00 a.m. and has been missing ever since. U 37 heard a distant detonation on August 2, 1940 at 3:17 p.m. It is assumed that the U 25 north of Terschelling , around the position 54 ° 14 ' N , 5 ° 7' E in the marine grid square AN 6941, ran into a mine and immediately sank with all 49 crew members on board. It is still unclear whether this was an own mine or an enemy mine.
U 25 lost a crew member during its service before the sinking.