The Type IA U-boat U-25 - German U-boats of WWII (original) (raw)
List of all U-boats
| Type | IA | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered | 17 Dec 1934 | |
| Laid down | 28 Jun 1935 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 903) |
| Launched | 14 Feb 1936 | |
| Commissioned | 6 Apr 1936 | Kptlt. Eberhardt Godt |
| Commanders | 6 Apr 1936 - 3 Jan 1938 KrvKpt. Eberhard Friedrich Clemens Godt (German Cross in Gold) 3 Jan 1938 - 12 Dec 1938 Kptlt. Werner von Schmidt10 Dec 1938 - 3 Apr 1939 Kptlt. Otto Schuhart (Knights Cross) 4 Apr 1939 - 4 Sep 1939 Oblt. Georg-Heinz Michel5 Sep 1939 - 19 May 1940 KrvKpt. Viktor Schütze (Knights Cross) 20 May 1940 - 2 Aug 1940 KrvKpt. Heinz Beduhn | |
| Career5 patrols | ||
| Successes | 7 ships sunk, total tonnage 33,209 GRT1 auxiliary warship sunk, total tonnage 17,046 GRT1 ship damaged, total tonnage 7,638 GRT | |
| Fate | Sunk on or about 2 August 1940 in the North Sea north of Terschelling, in approx. position 54.14N, 05.07E, by a mine in the British minefield Field No. 7, laid by the British destroyers HMS Express, HMS Esk, HMS Icarus and HMS Impulsive. 49 dead (all hands lost). | |
| Loss position |
See the 9 ships hit by U-25 - View the 5 war patrols
U-25 was reported missing when it failed to report its position after sailing from Wilhelmshaven. The body of one of its crewmen was washed ashore on Heligoland on 19 August 1940. It is very likely that the boat was mined and sunk in the barrage laid by British destroyers on its exit route on 3 March 1940. This mine field probably accounted for several U-boats on their outbound or return journey.
Wolfpack operations
U-25 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Prien (12 Jun 1940 - 17 Jun 1940)
Attacks on this boat and other events
18 Jan 1940
At 16.25 hrs, the boat torpedoed and sank Pajala near North Rona, Hebrides. Her escort, the armed boarding vessel HMS Northern Duke, forced U-25 to dive with gunfire at 17.26 hrs and followed up with depth charges. She claimed hits on the conning tower and the sinking of the enemy, but U-25 in fact escaped undamaged.
1 recorded attack on this boat.
Men lost from the boat
5 Nov 1939
A man was lost overboard in the Bay of Biscay. [Bootsmaat Wilhelm Lützeler]
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
U-boat Emblems
We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
Media links
There was another U-25 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 12 Jul 1913 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 9 May 1914. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 25 during WWI.
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