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.

All Hands lost.

Commanders of U-25 include:

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):

On 11 April 1940, Schütze claimed he damaged two Royal Navy destroyers – no confirmation.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-25 (Beduhn commanding):

*  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

          
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.

7 Men lost  (list below)

Commanders of U-26 include:

ERNST GÖTHLING
(1225-1989) during
U-Boat training  He later rose to the rank of Kapitänleutnant in the Bundsmarine

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)

*  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.

Wreck of ELENA R	HMS KITTIWAKE

SHIPS SUNK BY U-26 (Scheringer commanding):

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