German submarine U-8 (1935)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-8.

The German submarine U-8 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, based at Kiel during World War II. It was one of the smaller versions, and was first launched on 16 July 1935. Its first commander was Harald Grosse. U-8 would have 18 commanders over the course of its service, the last being Jürgen Kriegshammer.

U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-8
Ordered	20 July 1934
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number	542
Laid down	25 March 1935
Launched	16 July 1935
Commissioned	5 August 1935
Fate	Scuttled on 5 May 1945, in the Raeder Lock at Wilhelmshaven.
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IIB coastal submarine
Displacement	279 t (275 long tons) surfaced 328 t (323 long tons) submerged
Length	42.70 m (140 ft 1 in) o/a 27.80 m (91 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught	3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
Installed power	700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels) 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range	1,800 nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–43 nmi (65–80 km; 40–49 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 22 men
Armament	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	U-boat School Flotilla 1 September 1935 – 1 August 1939 1 September 1939 – 3 January 1940 U-boat Defense School 4 January – 12 April 1940 1st U-boat Flotilla 13 April – 30 June 1940 24th U-boat Flotilla 1 July – 17 December 1940 22nd U-boat Flotilla 18 December 1940 – 31 March 1945
Identification codes:	M 06 994
Commanders:	Kptlt. Harald Grosse 13 August 1935 – 3 November 1936 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Georg Peters 24 June 1938 – 5 September 1939 Kptlt. Otto Schuhart 2 September - 29 October 1938 Kptlt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler 6 September - 13 October 1939 Kptlt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock 14 October - 30 November 1939 Kptlt. Georg-Heinz Michel 1 December 1939 - 4 May 1940 Kptlt. Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat 5 May - 7 June 1940 Lt.z.S. Heinz Stein 5 - 9 June 1940 Oblt.z.S. Walter Kell 10 June - 6 July 1940 Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche 7 - 28 July 1940 Oblt.z.S. Walter Kell 13 September - 17 December 1940 Kptlt. Heinrich Heinsohn 18 December 1940 - 25 April 1941 Kptlt. Ulrich Borcherdt 26 April - 22 May 1941 Oblt.z.S. Rolf Steinhaus 23 May - 31 July 1941 Lt.z.S. / Oblt. Horst Deckert 1 August 1941 - 16 May 1942 Oblt.z.S. Rudolf Hoffmann 17 May 1942 - 15 March 1943 Oblt.z.S.d.R Alfred Werner 16 March 1943 - 12 May 1944 Oblt.z.S. Jürgen Iversen 13 May - 24 November 1944 Oblt.z.S. Jürgen Kriegshammer 25 November 1944 - 31 March 1945
Operations:	1 patrol: a. 19 May – 5 June 1940 b. 5–7 June 1940
Victories:	No ships sunk or damaged

Design

German Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-8 had a displacement of 279 tonnes (275 long tons) when at the surface and 328 tonnes (323 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (254 t), however. The U-boat had a total length of 42.70 m (140 ft 1 in), a pressure hull length of 28.20 m (92 ft 6 in), a beam of 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), a height of 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in), and a draught of 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-8 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of twenty.

Service history

U-8 was ordered on 20 July 1934, i.e. in violation of the Versailles Treaty, which denied Germany possession of submarines. The U-boat was not laid down until 25 March 1935, and launched on 16 July 1935, within weeks of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which granted Germany parity with the British Empire in submarines.

Commissioned on 5 August 1935 with Kapitänleutnant Harald Grosse in command, U-8 was used as a training boat until 31 March 1945, when the U-boat was decommissioned.

Fate

U-8 was scuttled in the Raeder Lock at Wilhelmshaven on 5 May 1945.

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
• Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
• Neistlé, Axel (2014). German U-Boat Losses during World War II: Details of Destruction (2 ed.). Havertown: Frontline Books (published 30 June 2014).

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-8". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 8". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2014.