German submarine ''U-95'' was a Type VIIC

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

'' during World War II. She was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 16 September 1939 by Germaniawerft at

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as yard number 600 and commissioned on 31 August 1940. In seven patrols, she sank eight ships for a total of and damaged four other vessels for a total of . ''U-95'' was sunk by a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

from the Dutch submarine on 28 November 1941 in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Design

German Type VIIC submarines German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. ''U-95'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a

pressure hull A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...

length of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

s producing a total of for use while surfaced, two

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...

GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-95'' was fitted with five

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen

es, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

''U-95'' was a member of two wolfpacks.

First patrol

The boat left

for her first patrol on 20 November 1940. She entered the Northern Atlantic Ocean and damaged ''Ringhorn'' on the 28th with her

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...

, having missed with two

es. The merchantman was hit in the

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...

and near the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, but the action could not be brought to a successful conclusion because of weather conditions. The Germans, believing the ship would sink, left the area but the crew re-boarded her and sailed to

Belfast Lough Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to th ...

. ''U-95'' also damaged ''Conch'' on 2 December. This ship had already been hit by about west of

Bloody Foreland Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Crolly ...

(Ireland). The boat fired four torpedoes, one of which struck the vessel. She was eventually sunk by . The submarine headed for her new French Atlantic base, arriving at

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

on 6 December.

Second patrol

''U-95'' continued the business of damaging ships when she attacked, but did not sink, ''Walotira'' northwest of

Rockall Rockall () is an uninhabitable granite islet situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by Ireland. ...

on 26 December 1940. This vessel met her end due to the actions of ''U-99'' on the 27th.

Third patrol

The boat left Lorient on 16 February 1941 for her third sortie. She sank ''Cape Nelson'' and ''Temple Moat'' south of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

on the 24th. When ''Pacific'' went down on 2 March north of Rockall, there was only one survivor. The destruction of the neutral ''Murjek'' was even more bloody. She went to the bottom with all hands on the fifth. ''U-95'' returned to France, but to St. Nazaire on 19 March.

Fourth patrol

The boat maintained her success on her fourth patrol, sinking ''Taranger'' southwest of Reykjavik in Iceland on 3 May 1941. 1930 Built as TARANGER at Burmeister & Wains Maskin- & Skibsbyggeri, København, Danmark for Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen. Launched 12/02, delivered in April. torpedoed and sunk 03/05 by the German submarine U-95 (Kapitänleutnant Gerd Schreiber) abt. 150 nm South West of Reykjavik, Iceland whilst on a voyage from Liverpool, England via Panama to Vancouver, BC, Canada in ballast. 1 man died. 31 survivors. https://skipshistorie.net/Tramp%20og%20linje/Tekster/LTK00119300400000%20TARANGER.htm

Fifth patrol

For her fifth patrol, ''U-95'' damaged ''Palma'' west southwest of

Bantry Bay Bantry Bay ( ga, Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe) is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km (1.8-to-2.5 mil ...

(Ireland)''The Times Atlas of the World'' - Third edition, revised 1995, , p. 9 on 20 July 1941. One hit with her deck gun was reported when three rounds had struck their target.

Sixth patrol

''U-95''s only kill on her sixth foray was ''Trinidad''. The relatively small ship was sunk with 37 rounds from the boat's deck gun due west of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

on 6 September 1941.

Seventh patrol and loss

The submarine successfully forced the heavily defended

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

and entered the Mediterranean Sea. She was sunk by a torpedo from the Dutch submarine southwest of Almeria in Spain on 28 November 1941. 35 men died with the U-boat; there were 12 survivors.

Wolfpacks

''U-95'' took part in two wolfpacks, namely: * Bosemüller (28 August - 2 September 1941) * Seewolf (2 – 14 September 1941)

Summary of raiding history

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0095 German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1940 U-boats sunk in 1941 U-boats sunk by Dutch submarines World War II submarines of Germany World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea 1940 ships Ships built in Kiel Maritime incidents in November 1941