List of successful U-boats contains lists of the most successful German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s in the two World War

World war

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....

s based on total tonnage

Tonnage

Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...

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World War I

This list contains the 5 most successful German U-boats during the First World War based on total tonnage. Only sunk commercial vessels are included, not military (warships) nor damaged ships.

5 Top-scoring U-boats of World War I

Boat	Type	Commissioned	Total tonnage	Ships sunk	Patrols	Fate	Captains
	Type U 31 German Type U 31 submarine U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...	3 November 1914	539,741	224	17	Surrendered, 26 November 1918	Waldemar Kophamel Waldemar Kophamel Commander Waldemar Kophamel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I.... Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière Ernst von Voigt Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as Vice Admiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-World War I:...
	Type U 31 German Type U 31 submarine U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...	13 January 1915	404,478	154	19	Surrendered, 22 March 1919	Hans Kratzsch Walter Forstmann Heinrich Metzger
	Type U 31 German Type U 31 submarine U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...	15 December 1914	299,985	137	17	Surrendered, 23 February 1919	Max Valentiner Max Valentiner Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner was a German U-boat commander during World War I.He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest Prussian military order until the end of the war, for his achievements.He was also branded... Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :... Hans Heinrich Wurmbach Clemens Wickel
	Type U 31 German Type U 31 submarine U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...	5 October 1914	262,886	121	17	Missing, 9 November 1918	Claus Rücker Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :... Johannes Klasing
	Type U 31 German Type U 31 submarine U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...	27 September 1914	229,598	84	16	Surrendered, 16 January 1919	Konrad Gansser Gustav Sieß Hellmuth von Doemming

World War II

This list contains the 10 most successful German U-boats during the Second World War based on total tonnage

Tonnage

Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...

. Both commercial and military vessels (warships) are included but only sunk ships are included, not damaged ships.

10 Top-scoring U-boats of World War II

Boat	Type	Commissioned	Total tonnage	Ships sunk	Patrols	Fate	Captains
	VIIB German Type VII submarine Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...	22 April 1939	307,935	52	12	Scuttled, 3 May 1945	Herbert Schultze Herbert Schultze Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze , was a German U-boat commander of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded for eight patrols during the early part of the war, sinking and earning him eighth place on the Aces of the Deep list... Hans-Rudolf Rösing Hans-Rudolf Rösing Hans-Rudolf Rösing was a German U-boat commander in World War II and later served in the Bundesmarine.-Military career:... Heinrich Bleichrodt Heinrich Bleichrodt Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Bleichrodt was one of the most successful German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From October 1939 until retiring from front line service in December 1943, he sank 25 ships for a total of . For this he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, among other...
	VIIB German Type VII submarine Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...	18 April 1940	244,658	38	8	Scuttled, 17 March 1941 after depth charging by .	Otto Kretschmer Otto Kretschmer Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
	IXB German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	18 April 1940	237,596	45	11	Decommissioned March 1944. Sunk by bombs in Kiel Kiel Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the... , 15 April 1945.	Viktor Schütze Werner Winter Werner Winter Werner Winter was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
	IXB German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	11 June 1940	224,953	48	11	Lost with all hands, 2 April 1943 after depth charging by and .	Georg-Wilhelm Schulz Georg-Wilhelm Schulz Georg-Wilhelm Schulz was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From September 1939 until retiring from front line service in September 1941, he sank 19 ships for a total of 89,885 GRT. For this he received the Knight's Cross, among other commendations.-Early life:Schulz was born on... Johann Mohr Johann Mohr Johann Mohr was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
	IXB German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	30 May 1940	223,816	44	12	Decommissioned June 1944. Scuttled in port, 19 August 1944. Refloated and taken into French service as Blaison.	Karl-Heinz Moehle Karl-Heinz Moehle Karl-Heinz Moehle was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From September 1939 until retiring from front line service in June 1941, he sank 21 ships for a total of . For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross , among other commendations... Reinhard Hardegen Reinhard Hardegen Lieutenant Commander Reinhard Hardegen is a German U-boat Commander who sank 22 ships, amounting to sunk, ranking him as the 24th most successful Commander in World War II. After the war, he spent a year in British captivity before running a successful oil company and serving in Bremen's... Horst von Schroeter Horst von Schroeter Horst von Schroeter was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
	IXB German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	8 October 1940	217,786	39	14	Lost with all hands 18 August 1944 after depth charging by a Sunderland Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....  of 201 Squadron No. 201 Squadron RAF No. 201 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, until March 2010, operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even...  RAF.	Günter Hessler Harald Gelhaus Harald Gelhaus Harald Gelhaus was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross... Volker Simmermacher Karl-Heinz Fritz
	IX German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	4 August 1938	202,528	55	11	Scuttled, 8 May 1945	Heinrich Schuch Werner Hartmann Werner Hartmann Captain Werner Hartmann was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He sank 26 ships, amounting to over 115,000 tons sunk, ranking him as the 25th most successful commander in the war.-Career:... Victor Oehrn Victor Oehrn Victor Oehrn was a Fregattenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the U-boats and , sinking twenty-four ships on four patrols, for a total of 104,846 tons of Allied shipping, to stand 28th on the list of highest scoring U-Boat aces of World War II.-Career:Oehrn joined... Asmus Nicolai Clausen Ulrich Folkers Ulrich Folkers Ulrich Folkers was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
	IXC German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	20 March 1940	200,021	33	12	Sunk 6 May 1944 by Wildcat F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940... s and Avenger TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world.... s of , rammed by destroyer escort .	Richard Zapp Friedrich Markworth Friedrich Markworth Friedrich Markworth was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Awards:* Iron Cross ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class... Paul Frerks Gerhard Seehausen
	IXC German Type IX submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...	11 February 1941	197,998	33	10	Sunk 10 April 1944, depth charges and rockets fired by Wildcats and Avengers of .	Karl-Friedrich Merten Karl-Friedrich Merten Captain Karl-Friedrich Merten was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He is credited with the sinking of 27 ships for a total of of allied shipping. For this achievement he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves... Albert Lauzemis Ekkehard Scherraus Gerhard Seehausen Albert Lauzemis
	VIIB German Type VII submarine Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...	17 December 1938	191,919	31	10	Missing with all hands, on or about 7 March 1941 while patrolling south of Iceland between 59 deg and 62 deg north. Depth charged by destroyers and after being located using Type 286 ASDIC newly fitted to both destroyers.	Günther Prien Günther Prien Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...