German submarine U-37 (1938)

	U-37 at Lorient in 1940
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-37
Ordered	29 July 1936
Builder	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	942
Laid down	15 March 1937
Launched	14 May 1938
Commissioned	4 August 1938
Fate	Scuttled, 8 May 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXA submarine
Displacement	1,032 t (1,016 long tons) surfaced; 1,153 t (1,135 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.60 m (251 ft 4 in) o/a; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced; 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged;
Range	10,500 nmi (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 65–78 nmi (120–144 km; 75–90 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun; 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	6th U-boat Flotilla; 1 April 1938 – 31 December 1939; 2nd U-boat Flotilla; 1 January 1940 – 30 April 1941; 26th U-boat Flotilla; 1 May 1941 – 31 March 1942; 22nd U-boat Flotilla; 1 April 1942 – 30 June 1944; 4th U-boat Flotilla; 1 July 1944 – 5 May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 21 204
Commanders:	Kptlt. Heinrich Schuch; 4 August 1938 – 24 September 1939; K.Kapt. Werner Hartmann; 25 September 1939 – 6 May 1940; Kptlt. Victor Oehrn; 6 May – 26 October 1940; Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen; 26 October 1940 – 2 May 1941; Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers; 3 May – 15 November 1941; Oblt.z.S. Gustav-Adolf Janssen; 16 November 1941 – 30 June 1942; Oblt.z.S. Albert Lauzemis; 1 July 1942 – 3 January 1943; Oblt.z.S. Hinrich Kelling; 4 January – 19 November 1943; Oblt.z.S. Peter Gerlach; 20 November 1943 – 8 January 1944; Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Seiler; 9 January – 21 December 1944; Kptlt. Eberhard von Wenden; 22 December 1944 – 5 May 1945;
Operations:	11 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 19 August – 15 September 1939; 2nd patrol:; 5 October – 8 November 1939; 3rd patrol:; 28 January – 27 February 1940; 4th patrol:; 30 March – 18 April 1940; 5th patrol:; 15 May – 9 June 1940; 6th patrol:; 1 – 12 August 1940; 7th patrol:; 17 – 30 August 1940; 8th patrol:; 24 September – 22 October 1940; 9th patrol:; 28 November 1940 – 7 January 1941; 10th patrol:; 30 January – 18 February 1941; 11th patrol:; 27 February – 22 March 1941;
Victories:	53 merchant ships sunk ; (200,063 GRT); 2 warships sunk ; (2,404 tons); 1 merchant ship damaged ; (9,494 GRT);

German submarine U-37 was a Type IXA U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1937 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, launched on 14 May 1938, and commissioned on 4 August 1938 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schuch as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla.

Between August 1939 and March 1941, U-37 conducted eleven combat patrols, sinking 53 merchant ships, for a total of 200,063 gross register tons (GRT); and two warships, the British Hastings-class sloop HMS Penzance, and the French submarine Sfax (Q182). U-37 was then withdrawn from front-line service and assigned to training units until the end of the war. On 8 May 1945 the U-boat was scuttled in Sonderburg Bay, off Flensburg. U-37 was the sixth most successful U-boat in World War II.

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