German submarine U-25 (1936)

U-25 in about 1936, (note the number on the conning tower which was removed at the beginning of the war)
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-25
Ordered:	17 December 1934
Builder:	DeSchiMAG AG Weser Bremen
Yard number:	903
Laid down:	28 June 1935
Launched:	14 February 1936
Commissioned:	6 April 1936
Fate:	Lost around 1 August 1940, in the North Sea north of Terschelling. 49 dead
General characteristics
Displacement:	862 t (848 long tons) surfaced 982 t (966 long tons) submerged Official displacement was 712 tons standard
Length:	72.39 m (237 ft 6 in) o/a
Beam:	6.21 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
Draught:	4.30 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric 2 × MAN M8V40/46 8-cylinder diesel engines with 2,900–3,080 PS (2,860–3,040 shp; 2,130–2,270 kW) 2 × BBC GG UB720/8 double-acting electric motors with 1,000 PS (990 shp; 740 kW)
Range:	7,900 nmi (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 78 nmi (144 km; 90 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	200 m (660 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 39 enlisted
Armament:	6 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 14 × torpedoes 28 × TMA mines 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 naval gun 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) AA gun
Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine 2nd U-boat Flotilla
Identification codes:	M 10 950
Commanders:	Eberhard Godt Werner von Schmidt Otto Schuhart Georg-Heinz Michel Viktor Schütze Heinz Beduhn
Operations:	Five patrols
Victories:	Seven ships sunk for a total of 33,209 GRT; one auxiliary warship sunk, of 17,046 GRT; one ship damaged, of 7,638 GRT

German submarine U-25 was one of two Type IA ocean-going submarines produced by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Constructed by DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 903, U-25 was commissioned on 6 April 1936. It experienced a short, but successful combat career, sinking eight ships and damaging one.

Until 1940, U-25 was primarily used as training vessel and for propaganda purposes by the Nazi government. During its trials it was found that the Type IA submarine was difficult to handle due to its poor stability and slow dive rate. In early 1940, the boat was called into combat duty due to the shortage of available submarines. U-25 participated in five war patrols, sinking eight ships and badly damaging one.

On 17 January 1940, 10 miles north of Shetland, U-25 torpedoed SS Polzella. Enid (Captain Wibe), of then-neutral Norway en route to Dublin, went to assist Polzella. U-25 then shelled and sank Enid. Her crew escaped in their lifeboats. None of Polzella 's crew survived.

U-25 sank eight vessels for a total of 50,255 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged one for 7,638 GRT:

Around 1 August 1940, while on a mine-laying mission near Norway, U-25 passed through British mine barrage number seven and struck a mine. The boat sank, taking all hands with it.

U-25 took part in one wolfpack, namely.

Coordinates: 54°14′N 5°7′E / 54.233°N 5.117°E / 54.233; 5.117