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German submarine U-37 (1938)
U-37 docked at Wilhelmshaven on 18 April 1940.
U-37 docking at Wilhelmshaven on 18 April 1940
Career War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945
Name: U-37
Ordered: 29 July 1936[1]
Builder: AG Weser, Bremen[1]
Yard number: 942[1]
Laid down: 15 March 1937[1]
Launched: 14 May 1938[1]
Commissioned: 4 August 1938[1]
General characteristics [2][3]
Type: Type IXA submarine
Displacement: 1,032 t (1,016 long tons) surfaced
1,152 t (1,134 long tons) submerged
Length: 76.6 m (251 ft 4 in) o/a
58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Beam: 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) o/a
4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draft: 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Propulsion: 2 × MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW)
2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW)
Speed: 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h) surfaced
7.7 knots (14.3 km/h) submerged
Range: 19,425 nmi (35,975 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced
144 nmi (267 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Complement: 48 to 56
Armament: • 6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)
• 22 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes
• 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun[4] (110 rounds)
• AA guns (2 cm FlaK 30)
Service record[5][6]
Part of: 6th U-boat Flotilla
(1 April 1938 – 31 December 1939)
2nd U-boat Flotilla
(1 January 1940 – 30 April 1941)
26th U-boat Flotilla
(1 May 1941 – 31 March 1942)
22nd U-boat Flotilla
(1 April 1942 – 30 June 1944)
4th U-boat Flotilla
(1 July 1944 – 3 May 1945)
Commanders: Kptlt. Heinrich Schuch
(4 August 1938 – 24 September 1939)
KrvKpt. 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. Gustav-Adolf Janssen
(16 November 1941 – 30 June 1942)
Oblt. Albert Lauzemis
(1 July 1942 – 3 January 1943)
Oblt. Hinrich Kelling
(4 January–19 November 1943)
Oblt. Peter Gerlach
(20 November 1943 – 8 January 1944)
Oblt. Wolfgang Seiler
(9 January–21 December 1944)
Kptlt. Eberhard von Wenden
(22 December 1944 – 8 May 1945)
Operations: Eleven
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 commercial ships sunk (200,124 GRT)
Two warships sunk (2,404 GRT)
One ship damaged (9,494 GRT)

German submarine U-37 was a Type IXA U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.[1][5] The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1937 at the 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.[5]

Between August 1939 and March 1941, U-37 conducted eleven combat patrols,[1] sinking 53 merchant ships, for a total of 200,124 gross register tons (GRT); and two warships, the British sloop HMS Penzance (L28), and the French submarine Sfax (Q182).[5] 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.[5] U-37 was the sixth most successful U-boat in World War II.[7]

Service record[]

First patrol[]

U-37 left Wilhelmshaven, with Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schuch in command, on 19 August 1939. The boat operated for nearly four weeks in the North Atlantic, returning to port on 15 September 1939.[8]

Second patrol[]

U-37 left Wilhelmshaven on 5 October 1939 to conduct operations in the North Atlantic now under the command of Kapitän zur See Werner Hartmann. During this patrol she sank eight ships: four British, two Greek, one French and one Swedish, including the British steam freighter Yorkshire which was traveling with the Allied convoy HG-3, sailing from Gibraltar to Liverpool, England. Hartmann returned his boat to port on 8 November after nearly five weeks at sea.[9]

Third patrol[]

On 1 January 1940 U-37 was reassigned to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla based at Wilhelmshaven. On 28 January 1940 the U-boat departed for the North Atlantic, with Werner Hartmann in command. As on his previous patrol, Hartmann sank eight ships, this time three British, two Norwegian, one Danish, one French and one Greek. Of these ships, two were in convoy at the time. U-37 returned to Wilhelmshaven on 27 February.[10]

Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-5613-30A, Wilhelmshaven, U-Boot-Männer gehen an Land

The crew of U-37 departing the submarine after reaching Wilhelmshaven on 18 April 1940

Fourth patrol[]

U-37 departed Wilhelmshaven on 30 March for Werner Hartmann's third consecutive patrol, this time around Norway. Again, Hartmann proved successful, sinking three ships; the Norwegian Tosca, the Swedish Sveaborg and the British Stancliffe. After patrolling for over two weeks, the U-boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 18 April.[11]

Fifth patrol[]

Under a new captain, Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn, U-37 departed from Wilhelmshaven on 15 May for a patrol around Portugal and Spain. U-37 had her most successful mission, hitting eleven ships, sinking ten of them. Three French ships were sunk, two Greek, two British, one Swedish, one Argentinian, one Finnish; one British ship was damaged. After three and a half weeks at sea, U-37 returned to Wilhelmshaven on 9 June.[12]

The neutral Argentinian ship was the Uruguay, sailing from Rosario to Limerick with a cargo of maize. U-37 surfaced and stopped the Uruguay and examined her papers, then sank her with scuttling charges. Her crew of 28 were left in their lifeboats. Fifteen died, 13 survived.[13]

SS Uruguay

Argentine merchant ship SS Uruguay, sunk by the U-37

Sixth patrol[]

U-37 sailed from Wilhelmshaven on 1 August, again with Victor Oehrn in command. This week and a half long patrol in the Atlantic off the west coast of Ireland resulted in the sinking of a single British ship, the Upwey Grange. U-37 returned to port on 12 August, but rather than head back to Wilhelmshaven, she made for Lorient in France, where the 2nd U-boat Flotilla was now based.[14]

Seventh patrol[]

For the first time, U-37 began a patrol from a location other than Germany, in Lorient on 17 August, with Victor Oehrn in command once more. It was to focus on operations off the south-west coast of Ireland. Seven ships were sunk during this voyage; five of which were British, one Norwegian, and one Greek. Of these ships, one was from the convoy OA-220, the British Brookwood, traveling from Britain to the United States, two were from the convoy SC-1, the British sloop HMS Penzance and Blarimore, sailing from Sydney, Australia, to the United Kingdom. After two weeks at sea, U-37 returned to Lorient on 30 August.[15]

Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-1032-11A, Lorient, U-37

U-37 at Lorient in 1940

Eighth patrol[]

On 24 September, U-37 departed Lorient on Victor Oehrn's fourth patrol, in which he would sail to the North Atlantic. During this month long operation U-37 sank six ships, four of which were in convoy at the time of attack, all of which were British. Five of these six ships were sailing under the British flag, while the sixth was from Egypt. The British ship Corrientes was sunk as part of convoy OB-217, sailing from Liverpool to North America. The Heminge was sailing as part of convoy OB-220, also sailing from Liverpool to North America. The British General was sunk while sailing as part of convoy OA-222, sailing from Britain to North America. The fourth ship sunk was the British Stangrant, sailing as part of the convoy HX-77 from Halifax to the United Kingdom. The U-boat returned to Lorient on 22 October.[16]

Ninth patrol[]

After over a month in port, U-37 departed with a new captain, Oberleutnant zur See Asmus Nicolai Clausen on 28 November for operations around north-west Africa and Spain. Seven ships were sunk during this patrol; two French, two Swedish, two British and one Spanish. Of these seven ships, three were in convoy at the time of their sinking. The Swedish Gwalia and Daphne and the British Jeanne M were sailing as part of convoy OG-46 from Britain to Gibraltar. The French vessels, the oiler Rhône and the submarine Sfax belonged to Vichy France and were sunk in error. After five weeks on the high seas, U-37 returned to Lorient on 14 January 1941.[17]

Tenth and eleventh patrols[]

U-37 left Lorient on 30 January 1941 to patrol off the coast of Portugal. On 8 February she spotted Convoy HG-53. The next day, U-37 sank two British ships, Courland and Estrellano. The third merchant vessel that U-37 sank on her tenth patrol was the British ship Brandenburg, on 10 February. The U-boat then returned to Lorient on 18 February after spending 20 days at sea and sinking 4,781 tons of shipping.[18]

Leaving Lorient for the final time on 27 February 1941, U-37's last patrol took her to the waters south of Iceland. There she sank two vessels, the Greek cargo ship Mentor on 7 March, and the Icelandic trawler Pétursey on the 12th. After spending 24 days at sea, U-37 entered the port of Kiel on 22 March.[19]

Training boat[]

On 1 May 1941 U-37 was reassigned to the 26th U-boat Flotilla, based at Pillau, as a training U-boat. She was transferred to the 22nd U-boat Flotilla, based at Gotenhafen on 1 April 1942, and finally to the 4th U-boat Flotilla on 1 July 1944, where she remained until the end of the war. She was scuttled by her crew in May 1945.[5]

Summary of raiding history[]

Date Name of Ship Nationality Tonnage Fate[20]
8 September 1939 Vistula Flag of Sweden Sweden 1,018 Sunk
12 October 1939 Artis Flag of Greece Greece 4,810 Sunk
15 October 1939 Vermont Flag of France France 5,186 Sunk
17 October 1939 Yorkshire Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 10,183 Sunk
24 October 1939 Ledbury Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 3,528 Sunk
24 October 1939 Menin Ridge Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 2,474 Sunk
24 October 1939 Tafna Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 4,413 Sunk
30 October 1939 Thrasyvoulos Flag of Greece Greece 3,693 Sunk
4 February 1940 Hop Flag of Norway Norway 1,365 Sunk
4 February 1940 Leo Dawson Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 4,330 Sunk
10 February 1940 Silja Flag of Norway Norway 1,259 Sunk
11 February 1940 Togimo Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 290 Sunk
15 February 1940 Aase Flag of Denmark Denmark 1,206 Sunk
17 February 1940 Pyrrhus Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 7,418 Sunk
18 February 1940 Elin Flag of Greece Greece 4,917 Sunk
18 February 1940 P.L.M. 15 Flag of France France 3,754 Sunk
10 April 1940 Sveaborg Flag of Sweden Sweden 9,076 Sunk
10 April 1940 Tosca Flag of Norway Norway 5,128 Sunk
12 April 1940 Stancliffe Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 4,511 Sunk
19 May 1940 Erik Frisell Flag of Sweden Sweden 5,006 Sunk
22 May 1940 Dunster Grange Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 9,494 Damaged
24 May 1940 Kyma Flag of Greece Greece 3,994 Sunk
27 May 1940 Sheaf Mead Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,008 Sunk
27 May 1940 Uruguay Flag of Argentina Argentina 3,425 Sunk
28 May 1940 Brazza Flag of France France 10,387 Sunk
28 May 1940 Julien Flag of France France 177 Sunk
28 May 1940 Maria Rosé Flag of France France 2,477 Sunk
29 May 1940 Telena Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 7,406 Sunk
1 June 1940 Ioanna Flag of Greece Greece 950 Sunk
3 June 1940 Snabb Flag of Finland Finland 2,317 Sunk
8 June 1940 Upwey Grange Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 9,130 Sunk
23 August 1940 Keret Flag of Norway Norway 1,718 Sunk
23 August 1940 Keret Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,242 Sunk
24 August 1940 Brookwood Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,100 Sunk
24 August 1940 HMS Penzance Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1,025 Sunk
25 August 1940 Blairmore Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 4,141 Sunk
25 August 1940 Yewcrest Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 3,409 Sunk
27 August 1940 Theodoros T Flag of Greece Greece 3,409 Sunk
27 September 1940 Georges Mabro Flag of Egypt Egypt 2,555 Sunk
28 September 1940 Corrientes Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 6,863 Sunk
30 September 1940 Heminge Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 2,499 Sunk
30 September 1940 Samala Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,390 Sunk
6 October 1940 British General Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 6,989 Sunk
13 October 1940 Stangrant Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,804 Sunk
1 December 1940 Palmella Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1,578 Sunk
2 December 1940 Gwalia Flag of Sweden Sweden 1,258 Sunk
2 December 1940 Jeanne M. Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 2,465 Sunk
4 December 1940 Daphne Flag of Sweden Sweden 1,513 Sunk
16 December 1940 San Carlos Flag of Spain Spain 223 Sunk
19 December 1940 Rhône Flag of France France 2,785 Sunk
19 December 1940 Sfax (Q 182) Flag of France France 1,379 Sunk
9 February 1941 Courland Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1,325 Sunk
9 February 1941 Estrellano Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1,983 Sunk
10 February 1941 Brandenburg Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1,473 Sunk
7 March 1941 Mentor Flag of Greece Greece 3,050 Sunk
12 March 1941 Petursey Flag of Iceland Iceland 91 Sunk

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "U-37 Type IXA". ubootwaffe.net. http://ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=37. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type IXA". U-Boat War in World War II. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/types/ixa.htm. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  3. "Type IX U-Boat". German U-boat. Uboataces.com. http://www.uboataces.com/uboat-type-ix.shtml. Retrieved 30 March 2010. 
  4. Campbell, John Naval Weapons of World War Two ISBN 0-87021-459-4 pp.248&249
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-37". German U-boats of WWII. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u37.htm. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-37". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u37.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Most Successful U-boats". U-boat Operations. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/ops/successful_boats.htm. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  8. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (First patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_253.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Second patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_254.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  10. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Third patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_255.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  11. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Fourth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_256.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  12. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Fifth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_257.html. Retrieved 30 March 2010. 
  13. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Uruguay (Steam merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/324.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  14. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Sixth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_258.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  15. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Seventh patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_259.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  16. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Eighth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_260.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  17. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Ninth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_261.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  18. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Tenth patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_262.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  19. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol info for U-37 (Eleventh patrol)". U-boat patrols. Uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_263.html. Retrieved 21 March 2010. 
  20. http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u37/html

External links[]

See also[]


Coordinates: 54°55′N 09°47′E / 54.917°N 9.783°E / 54.917; 9.783

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