Germany has commissioned over 1,500 U-boats (German: Unterseeboot) into its various navies from 1906 to the present day. The submarines have usually been designated with a U followed by a number, although World War I coastal submarines and coastal minelaying submarines used the UB and UC prefixes, respectively. When Germany resumed building submarines in the 1930s, the numbering of the submarines was restarted at 1. The renumbering was restarted at 1 a third time when Germany resumed building submarines in the 1960s.
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World War I–era U-boats
There were some 380 U-boats commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine in the years before and during World War I. Although the first four German U-boats—U-1, U-2, U-3, and U-4—were commissioned before 1910, all four served in a training capacity during the war. German U-boats used during World War I were divided into three series. The U designation was generally reserved for ocean-going attack torpedo U-boats. The UB designation was used for coastal attack U-boats, while the UC designation was reserved for coastal minelaying U-boats.
U-boats
U-boats designed primarily for deep water service were designated with a U prefix and numbered up to 167.
UB coastal U-boats
Coastal attack torpedo U-boats were smaller craft intended for operation closer to land. They were designated with a UB prefix and numbered up to 154.
UC coastal minelaying U-boats
Coastal minelaying U-boats were smaller vessels intended to mine enemy harbors and approaches. They were designated with a UC prefix and numbered up to 105.
Foreign U-boats
At the outbreak of World War I Germany took charge of a number of submarines under construction in German shipyards for other countries.
World War II U-boats
In the World War II era, Germany commissioned some 1,250 U-boats into the Kriegsmarine,
U-5001 to U-6500
The range of U-5000 to U-6442 was specifically allocated to German midget submarines. The following Seehund Type XXVIIB U-boats were entered into the Kriegsmarine registry as commissioned vessels
Foreign U-boats
Germany captured and commissioned 14 submarines from six countries into the Kriegsmarine during World War II.