
Type I-A German U-Boat
Actually, this is a misnomer because the first of a U-Boat type did not have the “A” after it. The Type I was merely the Type I, and only two were made because this just was not a very good submarine. The crews did not like their unpredictable handling – they would surface or dive almost on their own. U-25 and U-26 were the only two Type I German U-Boats ever made. The Type I was a twin shaft diesel-electric sea-going submarine with relatively long range and it was based on the GUR that Germany had previously built for the Turkish Navy. The Type I carried fourteen torpedoes.
Displacement: 862/983 tons
Length: 237′ 6″
Beam: 20′ 3″
Draft: 14′ 0″
Power (diesel): 2,800hp
Power (electric): 1,000hp
Speed (diesel): 18 knots
Speed (electric): 8.5 knots
Bunkers: 96 tons diesel fuel
Range (diesel): 6,700 miles @ 12 knots
Range (electric): 78 miles @ 4 knots
Crew: 32 men
Deck gun: single 4 inch
AA guns: single 20mm
Tubes (fwd): four
Tubes (aft): two
History of the German Submarine U-25
Under Victor Schütze Under Heinz Beduhn
Conning tower of U-25 under Victor Schütze
U-25 in pre-war trim
This was one of only two Type I-A boats built; unpopular with their crews due to their bad handling characteristics.
TYPE | BUILDER | LAUNCHED |
---|---|---|
I-A | AG Weser (Bremen) | 14 Feb 1936 |
COMMISSIONED | FELDPOST Nr. | SUNK |
6 April 1936 | M10950 | 3 Aug 1940 |
SUNK BY | LOCATION SUNK | POSITION SUNK |
Mine | North of Terschelling | 54º 00’N x 05º 00’E |
All Hands lost.
Commanders of U-25 include:
LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | FROM | TO | OTHER BOATS | COMMENTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GODT | EBERHARD | |||||
Michel | 1 Sep1939 | U-8 and U-54 | ||||
Schütze | Victor | 1 Sep 1939 | May 1940 | U-14, U-11 and U-103 | ||
von Schmidt | Werner | U-15, U-40 and U-116 | ||||
Lott | Werner | U-32 and U-35 | ||||
von Friedeburg | Hans-Georg | |||||
Beduhn | Heinz | 6 May 1940 | 3 Aug 1940 | U-16 and U-23 | KIA aboard U-25 |
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EBERHARD GODT | Victor Schütze |
NOTE – Sharkhunters Member’s names appear in bold capital letters followed by their Membership Number.
U-25 saw action during the Spanish Civil War but not much is recorded about that time.
With the outbreak of World War II, U-25 was attached to the 1st U-Bootflottille and later to the 2nd U-Bootflottille. She operated in the North Atlantic – over October and November of 1939 she operated in the Bay of Biscay; over January and February of 1940 she patrolled off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts; then off Norway in April 1940.
U-25 took on fuel from the tanker THALIA in Cadiz, Spain then began operations west of Gibraltar in February 1940.
SHIPS SUNK BY U-25 (Schütze commanding):
DATE | NAME | NATION | TYPE | GRT |
---|---|---|---|---|
31 Oct 1939 | BEOULE | France | Freighter | 5,874 tons |
17 Jan 1940 | POIZELLA | England | Freighter | 4,751 tons |
17 Jan 1940 | ENID | Norway | Freighter | 1,140 tons |
18 Jan 1940 | PAJALA (photo below) | Sweden | Freighter | 6,873 tons |
22 Jan 1940 | SONGA | Norway | Freighter | 2,589 tons |
3 Feb 1940 | ARMINISTAN | England | Freighter | 6,805 tons |
13 Feb 1940 | CHASTINE MAERSK | Denmark | Tanker | 5,177 tons |
On 11 April 1940, Schütze claimed he damaged two Royal Navy destroyers – no confirmation.
SHIPS SUNK BY U-25 (Beduhn commanding):
DATE | NAME | NATION | TYPE | GRT |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 June 1940 | SCOTSTOUN ANTONIS | England | Armed merchant cruiser | 17,046 tons |
19 June 1940 | unknown * | England | Tanker | 8,000 tons |
* U-25 fired at this tanker, surfaced and watched the torpedo hit and detonate. The ship following the tanker rammed U-25 which took Beduhn’s attention away from the tanker but he saw the tanker stopped dead in the water. When he was able to look again for this target nearly an hour later it was gone, so he assumed a sinking. No confirmation.
On 21 June 1940, U-25 damaged the 10,000 ton French tanker ARAGAS.
The 16 October 1939 issue of LIFE Magazine featured a cover photo of U-25 taken through an open porthole of a ship that U-25 stopped. With the U-Boat alongside, the ship’s papers were checked and after finding no contraband, she was allowed to proceed unharmed.
Men lost on U-25
LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | RANK | LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | RANK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ahlers | Günter | Strm Mt | Albrecht | Edmund | Mtr Gfr |
Arendt | Alfred | Mtr Gfr | Bartel | Johannes | Ktr Gfr |
Bauer | Heinrich | Funk Ob Gfr | Beduhn | Heinz | Korvettenkapitän |
Behlau | Fritz | Masch Mt | Bielig | Karl | Mtr Gfr |
Braun | Heinz | Funk Gfr | Brodowolf | Eduard | Masch Gfr |
Damaschke | Rudi | Mtr Gfr | Deckinger | Helmut | Masch Ob Gfr |
Diener | Otto | Masch Ob Gfr | Eisenecker | Jakob | Masch Mt |
Elmenhorst | Hinrich | Oblt zS | Fedde | Franz | Obersteuermann |
Feutner | Michael | Masch Mt | Friedrich | Georg | Mtr Gfr |
Fritsche | Heinrich | Kplt ING | Gerber | Adam | Masch Gfr |
Gruber | Ernst | Mtr Ob Gfr | Jürgens | Ernst | Ob Masch |
Kessler | Theodor | Funk maat | Köhler | Walter | Masch Gfr |
Kohlenberg | Alfred | Masch Ob Gfr | Kramer | Walter | Masch Ob Mt |
Lützler | Wilhelm | Bootsmannsmaat | Mangermanns | Alfred | Mech Gfr |
Metzenauer | Adolf | Masch Gfr | Meyer | Hans Georg | Mtr Gfr |
Müller | Wolfgang | Bootsmannsmaat | Noll | Johann | Mech Gfr |
Norwig | Werner | Mech Mt | Nothhelfer | Mathias | Ober Btsmn |
Pinkwart | Albert | Ober Masch | Redlich | Walter | Masch Gfr |
Röhlecke | Kurt | Ober Masch Mt | Schäffer | Valentin | Masch HGfr |
Schmid | Maximillian | Masch Mt | Schulz | Werner | Mtr Gfr |
Seidel | Kurt | Mtr Gfr | Seip | Wilhelm | Masch Ob Gfr |
Spätler | Werner | Lt zS | Spiwoks | Wilhelm | Funk Maat |
Splettstößer | Hans | Ober Masch Mt | Staffel | Matthias | Masch Mt |
Thiede | Werner | Mech Gfr | Wasmuth | Heinrich | Bootsmann |
Weber | Helmut | Masch Gfr | Wiebusch | Friederich | Masch Gfr |
History of the German Submarine U-26
U-26 Conning Tower Emblems Under Ewerth
The caption on the back of this photo is hand written:
“To my friend Harry Cooper; Sharkhunters visit Kiel 18.09.1992”
It is signed by ERNST GÖTHLING (1225-1989)
This was one of only two Type I-A boats built; unpopular with their crews due to their bad handling characteristics.
TYPE | BUILDER | LAUNCHED |
---|---|---|
I-A | AG Weser (Bremen) | 14 Mar 1936 |
COMMISSIONED | FELDPOST Nr. | SUNK |
11 May 1936 | M07314 | 3 July 1940 |
SUNK BY | LOCATION SUNK | POSITION SUNK |
HMS GLADIOLUS and A/C from 10 Squadron (RAF) | SW of Bishop’s Rocks | 48º 03’N x 11º 30’E |
7 Men lost (list below)
Commanders of U-26 include:
LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | FROM | TO | OTHER BOATS | COMMENTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hartmann | Werner | 11 May 1936 | Nov 1938 | U-37 and U-198 | ||
Schomburg | Oskar | Nov 1938 | Aug 1939 | |||
Ewerth | Klaus | Aug 1939 | Jan 1940 | U-1, U-35, U-36 and U-850 | KIA aboard U-850 | |
Scheringer | Heinz | 3 Jan 1940 | 26 Apr 1940 | U-10 and U-13 | ||
Fischer | Heinz | 26 Apr 1940 | 5 Jun 1940 | |||
Scheringer | Heinz | 5 Jun 1940 | 3 July 1940 | POW aboard U-26 |
ERNST GÖTHLING
(1225-1989) during
U-Boat training He later rose to the rank of Kapitänleutnant in the Bundsmarine
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Werner Hartmann | Klaus Ewerth | Maschinengefreiter |
NOTE – Sharkhunters Member’s names appear in bold capital letters followed by their Membership Number.
U-26 was attached to the 2nd U-Bootflottille and operated in the English Channel during September 1939 and laid mines off Portland, England over 8-10 September 1939. She successfully broke through the Straits of Gibraltar on 8 November 1939 then she broke out of the Mediterranean through Gibraltar on 18 November 1939. She was to lay mines at Gibraltar but that plan was aborted. U-26 then patrolled one time in the North Atlantic and had two patrols off the Norwegian coast and one more in the North Atlantic where she was sunk.
SHIPS SUNK BY U-26 (Ewerth commanding)
DATE | NAME | NATION | TYPE | GRT |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 Sep 1939 | ALEX von OPSTAL * | Belgium | Freighter | 5,965 tons |
7 Oct 1939 | BINNENDIJK * | Netherlands | Freighter | 6,873 tons |
?? Nov 1939 | unknown ** | unknown | unknown | unknown |
22 Nov 1939 | ELENA R | Greece | Freighter | 4,576 tons |
20 Sep 1939 | HMS KITTIWAKE * | England | Corvette | 530 tons |
(damaged, not sunk) |
* Ran onto mines in the field laid by U-26 on 8 September 1939.
** It is recorded in logbooks at BdU (U-Boat HQ) that U-26 sank a ship as she was transiting Gibraltar but it does not appear accurate.
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Wreck of ELENA R | HMS KITTIWAKE |
SHIPS SUNK BY U-26 (Scheringer commanding):
DATE | NAME | NATION | TYPE | GRT |
---|---|---|---|---|
12 Feb 1940 | NIDARHOLM | Norway | Freighter | 3,482 tons |
14 Feb 1940 | LANGLEEFORD | England | Freighter | 4,622 tons |
15 Feb 1940 | STEINSTAD | Norway | Freighter | 2,476 Tons |
21 Apr 1940 | CEDARBANK | England | Freighter | 5,159 Tons |
30 Jun 1940 | FANGOULA GOULANDRIS | Greece | Freighter | 6,701 Tons |
U-26 fired at an unknown ship of unknown type of unknown tonnage and claimed damage. No confirmation.
On 3 Feb 1940, U-26 damaged the 4,871 ton British freighter ZARIAN.
Men lost on U-26
LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | RANK |
---|---|---|
Ackermann | Hermann | Masch Ob Gfr |
Böhme | Wilhelm | Masch Ob Gfr |
Bopp | Rudolf | Mtr Gfr |
Heymann | Heinz | Mtr Gfr |
Marschall | Conrad | Mech Gfr |
Nordhausen | Günter | Mtr Ob Gfr |
Redieck | Kurt | Mtr Ob Gfr |
Acknowledgements
Deepest thanks to our friends at the U-Bootskameradschaft Kiel for allowing us to bring their sacred book containing the names of all 28,863 U-Bootfahrer who were lost in action during World War II here to the USA where we carefully copied all the names of the fallen and list them here on our site. Ours is the only website in the world that lists all these names.
Many thanks to our good friend and Sharkhunters Member since 1987 GEORG HÖGEL (240-LIFE-1987)for all the conning tower emblems used in our monthly KTB Magazine and also here on the pages of our website. GEORG was Funkmaat (radioman) aboard U-30, the first boat into combat, the first to sink a ship (the liner ATHENIA) and the first into an occupied French port. When that Skipper (Lemp) took command of U-110, GEORG was one of the former crew to transfer to the new boat under Lemp. After the war, he was Professor of Art at a major German university. | GEORG HÖGEL |