Name U-25 Yard number 903 Commissioned 6 April 1936 Launched 14 February 1936 Draft 4.3 m | Ordered 17 December 1934 Laid down 28 June 1935 Construction started 28 June 1935 Length 72 m Beam 4.3 m | |
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German submarine U-25 was one of two Type IA ocean-going submarines produced by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Constructed by DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 903, U-25 was commissioned on 6 April 1936. It experienced a short, but successful combat career, sinking eight ships and damaging one.
Contents
Service history
Until 1940, U-25 was primarily used as training vessel and for propaganda purposes by the Nazi government. During its trials it was found that the Type IA submarine was difficult to handle due to its poor stability and slow dive rate. In early 1940, the boat was called into combat duty due to the shortage of available submarines. U-25 participated in five war patrols, sinking eight ships and badly damaging one.
On 17 January 1940, 10 miles north of Shetland, U-25 torpedoed SS Polzella. Enid (Captain Wibe), of then-neutral Norway en route to Dublin, went to assist Polzella. U-25 then shelled and sank Enid. Her crew escaped in their lifeboats. None of Polzella 's crew survived.
U-25 sank eight vessels for a total of 50,255 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged one for 7,638 GRT:
Fate
Around 1 August 1940, while on a mine-laying mission near Norway, U-25 passed through British mine barrage number seven and struck a mine. The boat sank, taking all hands with it.
Wolfpacks
U-25 took part in one wolfpack, namely.