Seized Submarines
15 submarines of those taken over from other Navies were commissioned by the Kriegsmarine
U A (ex Turkish Submarine Batiray)
Keellaying: 10 February 1937
Launching: 28 September 1938
Commissioning: 20 September 1939
Shipyard: Germania-Werft Kiel
U A was ordered by Turkey in Germany, was, however, not delivered due to the outbreak of war and consequently taken over by Germany. Was used for combat patrols between September 1939 and August 1942 from bases at Kiel as well as Lorient and St.Nazaire in occupied France, sunk during 9 combat patrols some 7 ships and was the most successful of the submarines taken over from foreign Navies. Served furtheron as training U-boat between August 1942 and May 1944 in the Baltic. U A was decommissioned in May 1944 at Neustadt/ Holstein, Germany, and on 03 May 1945 sent to the bottom at the Naval Arsenal at Kiel, later raised and scrapped.
U B (ex HMS Seal)
Keellaying: 09 December 1936
Launching: 27 September 1938
Commissioning: 28 January 1939/ German re-commissioning: 30 November 1940
Shipyard: Admiralty Dockyard, Chatham, England.
The Royal Navy´s HMS Seal was captured off the Swedish Island of Vinga at the Skagerak following a successful air attack by a Luftwaffe bomber and abandoning by its crew on 05 May 1940. Towed to the Germania shipyard at Kiel on the 11 May 1940, repaired and re-commissioned as U-boat U B in November 1940, to serve as trial and training U-boat in the Baltic. Was de-commissioned as early as the 31 July 1941, to be cannibalized afterwards. Self-destruction at Kiel on 03 May 1945.
UC 1 (ex Norwegian Submarine B-5)
Keellaying: March 1914
Launching: 17 June 1929
Commissioning: 01 October 1929/ German re-commissioning: 20 November 1940
Shipyard: Naval Dockyard Bergen, Norway
The submarine whose construction was interrupted by World War I was seized by the Kriegsmarine on 09 April 1940 at Kristiansand, Norway, following the occupation of Norway. It was used as training U-boat in the Baltic between June 1941 and March 1942, became, however, never really operational. Therefore, it was de-commissioned as early as 28 March 1942, to be scrapped afterwards.
UC 2 (ex Norwegian Submarine B-6)
Keellaying: December 1925
Launching: 24 September 1929
Commissioning: 01 May 1930/ German re-commissioning: 20 November 1941
Shipyard: Naval Dockyard Bergen, Norway
The submarine was seized by the Kriegsmarine on 04 May 1940 at Florö, Norway, following the occupation of Norway. It served as training U-boat between November 1941 and November 1944 in the Baltic and at Bergen, Norway. Was de-commissioned at Bergen in November 1944 and self-destructed off Kiel on 03 May 1945.
UD 1 (ex HMS H-6, ex Dutch Submarine O-8)
Keellaying:
Launching: 12 May 1915
Commissioning: Royal Navy 10 June1915, Dutch Navy 07 May 1917/ German re-commissioning: 21 November 1940
Shipyard: Canadian Vickers, Montreal, Canada
This submarine was built in Canada for the Royal Navy as HMS H-6 and was sold to the Dutch Navy, after it ran aground off the Island of Schiermonnikoog on the 19 January 1916, to be salvaged by the Dutch Navy. It was re-commissioned 1917 by the Dutch Navy as O-8 and fell to Germany after the seizure of the Netherlands in World War II on the 14 May 1940 at Den Helder. The Kriegsmarine re-commissioned the submarine as UD 1 and used it as a training U-boat in the Baltic. Was decommissioned on 23 November 1943 at Kiel and self-destroyed (sunk) on the 03 May 1945.
UD 2 (ex Dutch Submarine O-12)
Keellaying: 20 October 1928
Launching: 08 November 1930
Commissioning: 20 July 1931/ German re-commissioning: 30 January 1943
Shipyard: De Schelde, Flushing, Netherlands
The submarine was sent to the bottom at Den Helder by the Dutch Navy on the 14 May 1940. The Kriegsmarine raised it and re-commissioned it 1943, to use it as training U-boat at Bergen. Was de-commissioned on 06 July 1944, self-destruction at Kiel in the 03 May 1945.
UD 3 (ex Dutch Submarine O-25)
Keellaying: 10 April 1939
Launching: 01 May 1940
Commissioning: (German) 08 June 1941
Shipyard: Wilton-Feijenoord Shipyard, Schiedam, Netherlands
The submarine was taken over by the Kriegsmarine on the 15 May 1940 still under construction at the Dutch shipyard. The Kriegsmarine finished the construction of the submarine and commissioned it in 1941, to use it for combat patrol from the German Naval Base Lorient in occupied France between January 1941 and February 1942. Served as training U-boat at Bergen, Norway, in occupied Norway between March 1943 and October 1944. Was de-commissioned on 13 October 1944, self-destruction at Kiel in the 03rd of May 1945.
UD 4 (ex Dutch Submarine O-26)
Keellaying: 20 April 1939
Launching: 23 May 1940
Commissioning: (German) 28 January 1941
Shipyard: Wilton-Feijenoord Shipyard, Schiedam, Netherlands
The submarine was taken over by the Kriegsmarine on the 14 May 1940 still under construction at the Dutch shipyard. The Kriegsmarine finished the construction of the submarine and commissioned it in 1941, to use it as training U-boat in the Baltic between January 1941 and March 1944. Was de-commissioned on 19 March 1944, self-destruction at Kiel in the 03rd of May 1945.
UD 5 (ex Dutch Submarine O-27)
Keellaying: 03rd of September 1940
Launching: 26 April 1941
Commissioning: (German) 30 January 1942
Shipyard: Wilton-Feijenoord Shipyard, Schiedam, Netherlands
The submarine was taken over by the Kriegsmarine on the 14 May 1940 still under construction at the Dutch shipyard. The Kriegsmarine finished the construction of the submarine and commissioned it in 1942, to use it as training U-boat in the Baltic between January 1941 and August 1942, to be followed by combat patrols between August 1942 and January 1943 from the German Naval Base Lorient in occupied France and eventually as training U-boat between January 1943 and May 1945 at Bergen, Norway in occupied Norway. Surrendered at Bergen on 08 May 1945, to be transferred to England on 30 May 1945. Was given back to the Dutch Navy and re-commissioned as O-27.
UF 1 (ex French Submarine L´Africaine)
This submarine was seized in June 1940 by the Kriegsmarine in occupied France at the Worms Shipyard at Rouen, France, still under construction as part of the L´Aurore-Class of French submarines. It received the name UF 1 by the Kriegsmarine on 13 May 1941, but was never completed and taken into service by the Kriegsmarine. Was finally launched by France after the war on 07 December 1946 and commissioned.
UF 2 (ex French Submarine La Favorite)
Keellaying: 1937
Launching: September 1938
Commissioning: 05 November 1941 (German)
Shipyard: Worms at Rouen, France
This submarine of the French L´Aurore-Class was seized in June 1940 by the Kriegsmarine in occupied France and given the name UF 2. It was the only French submarine re-commissioned by the Kriegsmarine. It served as training U-boat only, between November 1942 and August 1943 at Kiel and between August 1943 and July 1944 at Bergen. It accidently sank on 05 July 1944, but was raised and self-destructed off Gotenhafen in the Baltic in May 1945.
UF 3 (ex French Submarine L´Astrée, other sources: L´Andromède)
At the beginning of World War II this submarine was under construction at Dubigeon Shipyard at Nantes, France as part of the L´Aurore-Class of French submarines. Seized in June 1940 by the Kriegsmarine in occupied France and given the name UF 3 on 13 May 1941, but was never completed and taken into service by the Kriegsmarine. Was completed by France after the war and commissioned in October 1949.
UIT 1 – UIT 20 (ex Italian submarines)
These 20 submarines were seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) still under construction. None of these submarines was completed during the period of German occupation, some of them left as they were (UIT 1, UIT 2, UIT 3, UIT 6, UIT 9), some of them destroyed (UIT 7, UIT 10, UIT 11, UIT 12, UIT 13, UIT 14) and others destroyed by Allied bombings (UIT 4, UIT 5, UIT 8, UIT 15, UIT 16, UIT 18, UIT 19, UIT 20), the midget submarine UIT 17 (ex Italian CM-1) was seized by Italian Partisans in April 1945 at the CRDA-shipyard at Monfalcone.
UIT 21 (ex Italian Guiseppe Finzi)
Keellaying: 1935
Launching: 29 June 1935
Commissioning: 08 January 1936
Shipyard: OTO (Odero-Terni-Orlando) at La Specia, Italy
This submarine of the Italian Calvi-class was seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) at Bordeaux, was converted to serve for transport tasks between Europe and Japan and was commissioned on 14 October 1943. It executed, however, never any transport journeys and was eventually scuttled at Bordeaux on 25 August 1944.
UIT 22 (ex Italian Alpino Bagnoli)
Keellaying: 1937
Launching: 28 October 1939
Commissioning: 22 December 1939/ German re-commissioning: 10 September 1943
Shipyard: Cantiere Tosi at Tarrent, Italy
This submarine of the Italian Liuzzi-class was seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) at Bordeaux and re-commissioned as
UIT 22 in September 1943. Together with UIT 23, 24 and 25 it was mainly used for transport tasks between Europe and Japan and was operated by a mixed German-Italian crew. It sank on 11 March 1944 off Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, after a successful attack by a South African aircraft.
UIT 23 (ex Italian Reginaldo Guiliano)
Keellaying: 1938
Launching: 13 March 1939
Commissioning: 03 February 1940/ German re-commissioning: 10 September 1943
Shipyard: Cantiere Tosi at Tarrent, Italy
This submarine of the Italian Liuzzi-class was seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) at Singapore and re-commissioned as
UIT 23 in September 1943. Together with UIT 22, 24 and 25 it was mainly used for transport tasks between Europe and Japan and was operated by a mixed German-Italian crew. It sank on 14 February 1944 during a combat patrol in the Malacca Straits after a torpedo hit by the British submarine HMS Tally-Ho.
UIT 24 (ex Italian Commandante Capellini)
Keellaying: 25 April 1938
Launching: 14 May 1939
Commissioning: 23 September 1939/ German re-commissioning: 10 September 1943/ Japanese re-commissioning: 10 May 1945
Shipyard: OTO at La Specia, Italy
This submarine of the Italian Marcello-class was seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) at Sabang and re-commissioned as
UIT 24 in September 1943. Together with UIT 22, 23 and 25 it was mainly used for transport tasks between Europe and Japan and operated by a mixed German-Italian crew. After the German capitulation the submarine was taken over by the Japanese Navy in May 1945 as I-503. Following the Japanese capitulation the submarine was destroyed by the US-Navy on the 16 April 1946.
UIT 25 (ex Italian Luigi Torelli)
Keellaying: 15 February 1939
Launching: 06 January 1940
Commissioning: 15 May 1940/ German re-commissioning: 10 September 1943/ Japanese
re-commissioning: 10 May 1945
Shipyard: OTO (Odero-Terni-Orlando) at La Specia, Italy
This submarine of the Italian Marconi-class was seized by the Kriegsmarine in September 1943 (following the Italian surrender on 09 September 1943) at Sabang and re-commissioned as
UIT 25 in September 1943. Together with UIT 22, 23 and 24 it was mainly used for transport tasks between Europe and Japan and operated by a mixed German-Italian crew. After the German capitulation the submarine was taken over by the Japanese Navy in May 1945 as I-504. Following the Japanese capitulation the submarine was destroyed by the US-Navy.