German submarine U-953

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-953
Ordered	10 April 1941
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number	153
Laid down	10 February 1942
Launched	28 October 1942
Commissioned	17 December 1942
Fate	Surrendered on 9 May 1945; Transferred to United Kingdom on 29 May 1945; Broken up in 1950;
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a; 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels); 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced; 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged;
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft); Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft);
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds); 1 × twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla; 17 December 1942 – 31 May 1943; 3rd U-boat Flotilla; 1 June 1943 – 14 October 1944; 33rd U-boat Flotilla; 15 October 1944 – 8 May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 49 558
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Karl-Heinz Marbach; 17 December 1942 – August 1944; Oblt.z.S. Herbert A. Werner; August 1944 – April 1945; Oblt.z.S. Erich Steinbrink; April – 9 May 1945;
Operations:	10 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 13 May – 22 July 1943; 2nd patrol:; 2 October – 17 November 1943; 3rd patrol:; 26 December 1943 – 20 February 1944; 4th patrol:; a. 30 March – 1 April 1944; b. 23 – 26 April 1944 ; 5th patrol:; 22 – 28 May 1944; 6th patrol:; 6 – 18 June 1944; 7th patrol:; 24 June – 22 July 1944; 8th patrol:; a. 10 – 11 August 1944; b. 12 – 19 August 1944; 9th patrol:; a. 31 August – 11 October 1944; b. 16 – 25 October 1944; c. 4 – 9 February 1945; d. 12 – 15 February 1945; 10th patrol:; a. 21 February – 3 April 1945; b. 6 – 9 April 1945;
Victories:	None

German submarine U-953 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II.

The submarine was laid down on 10 February 1942 in the Blohm & Voss yard at Hamburg, launched on 28 October 1942, and commissioned on 17 December 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Marbach.

After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-953 was transferred to the 3rd U-boat Flotilla based at La Pallice (in southwestern France), for front-line service on 1 June 1943. She sailed on ten war patrols with no ships sunk. She was transferred to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla on 15 October 1944, under the command of her second skipper, Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Werner, author of the memoir Iron Coffins. U-953 was surrendered at Trondheim in Norway on 9 May 1945.

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