List of submarines of World War II

This is a list of some of the submarines of the Second World War. Germany used submarines to devastating effect in the Battle of the Atlantic, where it attempted to cut Britain's supply routes by sinking more merchant ships than Britain could replace. While U-boats destroyed a significant number of ships, the strategy ultimately failed. Although U-boats had been updated in the interwar years, the major innovation was improved communications and encryption; allowing for mass-attack naval tactics. By the end of the war, almost 3,000 Allied ships (175 warships, 2,825 merchantmen) had been sunk by U-boats.[1]

Ships of World War II

The Imperial Japanese Navy operated the most varied fleet of submarines of any navy, including Kaiten crewed torpedoes, midget submarines (Type A Ko-hyoteki and Kairyu classes), medium-range submarines, purpose-built supply submarines and long-range fleet submarines. They also had submarines with the highest submerged speeds (I-201-class submarines) and submarines that could carry multiple aircraft (I-400-class submarines). They were also equipped with one of the most advanced torpedoes of the conflict, the oxygen-propelled Type 95.

The submarine force was the most effective anti-ship weapon in the US Navy arsenal. While only about 2 percent of the U.S. naval force they destroyed over 30 percent of the Japanese Navy, and over 60 percent of the Japanese merchant fleet, The Royal Navy Submarine Service was used primarily to blockade trade and military supply routes to Africa and the Near and Far East, but also obtained the only mutually submerged submarine to submarine combat kill. This occurred when the crew of HMS Venturer engaged the U864 manually computed a successful firing solution against a three-dimensional moving target using techniques which became the basis of modern torpedo computer targeting systems.[2][3][4][5]

During World War II, 52 U.S. Navy submarines were sunk.[6][7][8][9]

Submarines show submerged displacement. Click on headers to sort column alphabetically.

Boat Country Class Type Displacement (tons) First commissioned Fate
Barb  United States Navy Gato submarine 2,460 2 April 1942 sold to Italy as Enrico Tazzoli 1954, scrapped 1973
Cachalot  Royal Navy Grampus submarine 1,810 15 August 1938 sunk 30 July 1941
Clyde  Royal Navy River submarine 2,206 1935 paid off 30 July 1946
Curie  Royal Navy

 Free French Naval Forces

 U submarine 540 2 May 1943 returned to Royal Navy July 1946, paid off May 1949
Delfinul  Royal Romanian Navy submarine 900 1936 captured by the Soviets in August 1944, returned 1951 and scrapped 1957
Fresia  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1945
Gato  United States Navy Gato submarine 2,424 31 December 1941 Scrapped 25 July 1960
Graph  Kriegsmarine
 Royal Navy		 Type VIIC submarine 769 launched 15 April 1941 German U-boat, captured by the British, 27 August 1941.
Ran aground September 1944
Guacolda  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1949
Guale  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1945
H28  Royal Navy H submarine 518 29 June 1918 scrapped 18 August 1944
H31  Royal Navy H submarine 518 21 February 1919 sunk 24 December 1941
H32  Royal Navy H submarine 518 14 May 1919 scrapped 18 October 1944
H33  Royal Navy H submarine 518 17 May 1919 scrapped 19 May 1944
H34  Royal Navy H submarine 518 10 September 1919 scrapped July 1945
H43  Royal Navy H submarine 518 25 November 1919 scrapped November 1944
H44  Royal Navy H submarine 518 15 April 1920 scrapped February 1945
H49  Royal Navy H submarine 518 25 October 1919 sunk 18 October 1940
H50  Royal Navy H submarine 518 3 February 1920 scrapped July 1945
Hrabri  Royal Yugoslav Navy
 Regia Marina		 Hrabri submarine 1,164 1927 Captured and scrapped by the Italians in 1941
Humaytá Brazilian navy Humaytá submarine 1,440 20 July 1929 Decommissioned 25 November 1950
K VII  Royal Netherlands Navy K V submarine 649 5 September 1922 Destroyed in a Japanese bombing on 18 February 1942
K VIII  Royal Netherlands Navy K VIII submarine 810 15 September 1922 Stripped and abandoned in 1943 due lack of crew and age
K IX  Royal Netherlands Navy
 Royal Australian Navy		 K VIII submarine 810 21 June 1923 Transferred to RAN as HMAS K9 on 22 June 1943
K X  Royal Netherlands Navy K VIII submarine 810 24 September 1923 Scuttled on 2 March 1942 at Surabaya to avoid being captured by the Japanese
K XI  Royal Netherlands Navy K XI submarine 828 24 March 1925 Stripped and scuttled, 1945/46
K XII  Royal Netherlands Navy K XI submarine 828 19 May 1925 Sold in 1946 and scrapped in 1951
K XIII  Royal Netherlands Navy K XI submarine 828 29 March 1926 Scuttled on 2 March 1942 to prevent being captured by the Japanese
K XIV  Royal Netherlands Navy K XIV submarine 1045 6 July 1933 Decommissioned on 23 April 1946 and stricken on 1 June 1946
K XV  Royal Netherlands Navy K XIV submarine 1045 30 December 1933 On 1 June 1946 she was stricken and sold for scrap in December 1950
K XVI  Royal Netherlands Navy K XIV submarine 1045 31 January 1934 Sunk on 25 December 1941 by a torpedo of the Japanese submarine I-166
K XVII  Royal Netherlands Navy K XIV submarine 1045 19 December 1933 Struck and sunk by a Japanese mine on 21 December 1941
K XVIII  Royal Netherlands Navy K XIV submarine 1045 23 March 1934 Scuttled on 2 March 1942 in order to prevent Japanese capture
L23  Royal Navy L submarine 1,106 31 October 1924 paid off May 1946
L26  Royal Navy L submarine 1,106 11 October 1926 sunk as target 1 November 1946
L27  Royal Navy L training submarine 1,106 scrapped 1944
Marsuinul  Royal Romanian Navy submarine 620 May 1943 captured by the Soviets in August 1944, returned 1951 and scrapped 1967
Matchanu  Royal Thai Navy Matchanu submarine 375 19 July 1938 Scrapped in 1952
Nebojša  Royal Yugoslav Navy Hrabri submarine 1,164 1927 Scrapped in 1958
O 9  Royal Netherlands Navy O 9 submarine 656 18 January 1926 Scrapped October 1946
O 10  Royal Netherlands Navy O 9 submarine 656 1 September 1926 Scrapped October 1946
O 11  Royal Netherlands Navy O 9 submarine 656 18 January 1926 Sunk in 1940 after taking damage from a collision
O 12  Royal Netherlands Navy
 Kriegsmarine		 O 12 submarine 754 20 July 1931 Scuttled in 1940, raised by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine and taken into service as U-D2
O 13  Royal Netherlands Navy O 12 submarine 754 1 October 1931 Lost during patrol in the North Sea on 25 June 1940
O 14  Royal Netherlands Navy O 12 submarine 754 4 March 1932 Decommissioned in 1943 due to a lack of replacement engines
O 15  Royal Netherlands Navy O 12 submarine 754 28 July 1932 Taken out of service on 2 October 1946
O 16  Royal Netherlands Navy O 16 submarine 1194 27 January 1936 Sunk by mine on 15 December 1941
O 19  Royal Netherlands Navy O 19 submarine 1491 22 September 1938 Scuttled on 10 July 1945
O 20  Royal Netherlands Navy O 19 submarine 1491 28 August 1939 Sunk by Japanese destroyers Ayanami, Uranami and Yūgiri on 19 December 1941
O 21  Royal Netherlands Navy O 21 submarine 1205 10 May 1940 Sold for scrapping, 24 January 1958
O 22  Royal Netherlands Navy O 21 submarine 1205 10 May 1940 Lost during a patrol in the North Sea in 1940
O 23  Royal Netherlands Navy O 21 submarine 1205 13 May 1940 Sold for scrapping, April 1949
O 24  Royal Netherlands Navy O 21 submarine 1205 13 May 1940 Sold for scrapping, 1963
O 25  Royal Netherlands Navy
 Kriegsmarine		 O 21 submarine 1205 8 June 1941 Captured during the invasion of the Netherlands and commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as U-D3
O 26  Royal Netherlands Navy
 Kriegsmarine		 O 21 submarine 1205 28 January 1941 Captured during the invasion of the Netherlands and commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as U-D4
O 27  Royal Netherlands Navy
 Kriegsmarine		 O 21 submarine 1205 26 September 1941 Captured during the invasion of the Netherlands and commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as U-D5
Oberon  Royal Navy Odin submarine 1,922 24 August 1927 paid off 5 July 1944
Odin  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 21 December 1929 Sunk 14 June 1940
Olympus  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 14 June 1930 sunk 8 May 1942
Orpheus  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 23 September 1930 Sunk 19 June 1940
Orzeł  Polish Navy Orzeł submarine 1,100 2 February 1939 sunk 11 June 1940
Osiris  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 25 January 1929 paid off 7 March 1945
Osvetnik  Royal Yugoslav Navy
 Regia Marina		 Ostevnik submarine 809 14 January 1929 Captured by the Italians in 1941, scuttled by the Germans in 1943
Oswald  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 1 May 1929 Sunk 1 August 1940
Otus  Royal Navy Odin submarine 2,038 5 July 1929 paid off March 1946
Otway  Royal Navy Odin submarine 1,922 15 June 1927 paid off 1945
Oxley  Royal Navy Odin submarine 1,922 1 April 1927 sunk by friendly fire 10 September 1939
P222  Royal Navy S submarine 814 4 March 1942 sunk 12 December 1942
Pandora  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 30 June 1930 sunk 1 April 1942, scrapped 1955
Parthian  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 30 June 1930 sunk August 1943
Perseus  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 15 April 1930 sunk 6 December 1941.
Phoenix  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 3 February 1931 sunk 16 July 1940
Phlai-chumphon  Royal Thai Navy Matchanu submarine 375 19 July 1938 Scrapped in 1952
Poseidon  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 5 May 1930 sunk in accidental collision with a merchant ship 9 June 1931
Proteus  Royal Navy Parthian submarine 2,070 5 May 1930 Scrapped in March 1946 at Troon.
Quidora  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1945
Rainbow  Royal Navy Rainbow submarine 2,060 18 January 1932 Sunk 4 October 1940 in collision
Regent  Royal Navy Rainbow submarine 2,060 11 November 1930 Sunk 18 April 1943
Regulus  Royal Navy Rainbow submarine 2,060 7 December 1930 Sunk 6 December 1940
Rover  Royal Navy Rainbow submarine 2,060 29 January 1931 Scrapped 1946
Rechinul  Romanian Naval Forces Rechinul submarine 585 May 1943 captured by the Soviets in August 1944, sunk by accident February 1945
Rucumilla  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1945
Safari  Royal Navy S submarine 814 14 March 1942 sank under tow 8 January 1946
Sahib  Royal Navy S submarine 814 13 May 1942 sunk 24 April 1943
Saracen  Royal Navy S submarine 814 27 June 1942 sunk 14 August 1943
Satyr  Royal Navy S submarine 814 8 February 1943 to French Navy February 1952
Sceptre  Royal Navy S submarine 814 April 1943 paid off February 1947
Salmon  Royal Navy S submarine 670 8 March 1935 sunk 9 July 1940
Seadog  Royal Navy S submarine 814 24 September 1942 paid off 24 December 1947
Seahorse  Royal Navy S submarine 935 Sunk 7 January 1940
Sealion  Royal Navy S submarine 670 16 March 1934 scuttled 13 March 1945
Sea Nymph  Royal Navy S submarine 814 3 November 1942
Sea Rover  Royal Navy S submarine 814 7 July 1943 paid off October 1949
Seawolf  Royal Navy S submarine 670 12 March 1936
Seraph  Royal Navy S submarine 814 27 June 1942 paid off 25 October 1962
Shakespeare  Royal Navy S submarine 814 10 July 1942 paid off 14 July 1946
Shark  Royal Navy S submarine 670 31 December 1934 sunk 6 July 1940
Sibyl  Royal Navy S submarine 814 16 August 1942
Sickle  Royal Navy S submarine 814 1 December 1942 likely sunk June 1944
Simoom  Royal Navy S submarine 814 30 December 1942 sunk November 1943
Sinsamut  Royal Thai Navy Matchanu submarine 375 19 July 1938 Scrapped in 1952
Sirdar  Royal Navy S submarine 814 20 September 1943
Smeli  Royal Yugoslav Navy
 Regia Marina		 Osvetnik submarine 1,164 1 December 1928 Captured by the Italians in 1941, scuttled in 1943
Snapper  Royal Navy S submarine 670 25 October 1934 sunk February 1941
Spearfish  Royal Navy S submarine 670 11 December 1936 sunk 1 August 1940
Spiteful  Royal Navy S submarine 814 6 October 1943
Splendid  Royal Navy S submarine 814 8 August 1942 scuttled 21 April 1943
Sportsman  Royal Navy S submarine 814 21 December 1942 to the French navy on 8 July 1952
Starfish  Royal Navy S submarine 935 3 July 1933 Sunk 9 January 1940
Sterlet  Royal Navy S submarine 670 6 April 1938 sunk 18 April 1940
Sturgeon  Royal Navy S submarine 935 15 December 1932 paid off 17 November 1945
Sunfish  Royal Navy S submarine 670 2 July 1937 sunk 27 July 1944
Swordfish  Royal Navy S submarine 935 28 November 1932 sunk 7 November 1940
Tegualda  Chilean Navy H submarine 441 1917 scrapped 1945
U-25  Kriegsmarine Type IA U-boat 982 6 April 1936 sunk 1 August 1940
U-37 – U-44  Kriegsmarine Type IX U-boat 1,152
U-65, U-66
U-103 – U-111
U-122 – U-124		  Kriegsmarine Type IXB U-boat 1,051
U-66 – U-68,
U-125 – U-131
U-153 – U-166
U-171 – U-176
U-501 – U-524		  Kriegsmarine Type IXC U-boat 1,051
U-190  Kriegsmarine
 Royal Canadian Navy		 Type IXC U-boat 1,257 24 September 1942 Surrendered to RCN 11 May 1945, commissioned 19 May, paid off 24 July 1947, scuttled October 21, 1947
U-167 – U-170
U-183 – U-194
U-525 – U-550
U-801 – U-806
U-841 – U-846
U-853 – U-858
U-865 – U-870
U-877 – U-881
U-889
U-1221 – U-1235		  Kriegsmarine Type IXC/40 U-boat 1,120 U-877 sunk by HMCS St. Thomas on 27 December 1944. All 56 members saved by crew of the St. Thomas.[10]
U-889  Kriegsmarine
 Royal Canadian Navy		 Type IXC/40 U-boat 1,257 4 August 1944 Surrendered to RCN 10 May 1945, commissioned 14 May, paid off December 1945, scuttled 1947
U-177 – U-182
U-195 – U-200
U-847 – U-852
U-859 – U-864
U-871 – U-876		  Kriegsmarine Type IXD U-boat 1,616
U-459 – U-464
U-487 – U-490		  Kriegsmarine Type XIV U-boat 1,668
U-459 – U-464
U-487 – U-490		  Kriegsmarine Type XXI U-boat 1,668
U-D1  Kriegsmarine H training submarine 441 1915 scuttled by Netherlands, captured by Germany 1939, paid off 23 November 1943
Wahoo  United States Navy Gato submarine 1,525 surfaced 15 May 1942 Sunk 11 October 1943
Wirun  Royal Thai Navy Matchanu submarine 375 19 July 1938 Scrapped in 1952
X2  Royal Navy Archimede submarine 1,230 19 March 1934 ex-Galileo Galilei captured from the Italian Navy on 18 June 1940, paid off January 1946
X3  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
X4  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
X5  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 sunk 22 September 1943
X6  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 scuttled 22 September 1943
X7  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 scuttled 22 September 1943
X8  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 scuttled 17 September 1943
X9  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 foundered under tow 16 September 1943
X10  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 scuttled 3 October 1943
X20  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off
X21  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944
X22  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 sank in training February 7, 1944
X23  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
X24  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
X25  Royal Navy X midget submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XE1  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE2  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE3  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE4  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE5  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE6  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE7  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1952
XE8  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1952
XE9  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1952
XE10  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1945
XE11  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 6 March 1945
XE12  Royal Navy XE midget submarine 33 1944 paid off 1952
XT1  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XT2  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XT3  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XT4  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XT5  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945
XT6  Royal Navy X training submarine 30 1944 paid off 1945

See also

References
  1. Crocker, H. W., III (2006). Don't Tread on Me. New York: Crown Forum. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-4000-5363-6.
  2. "Hulls Listed by Name". Naval Vessel Register. Archived from the original on 2007-06-30.
  3. "US Navy Inactive Classification Symbols". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  4. "Index". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
  5. "Royal Navy operations in the Second World War". The National Archives. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  6. "A WWII submarine went missing for 75 years. High-tech undersea drones solved the mystery.".
  7. "Navy Submarine, Missing for 75 Years, Is Found Off Okinawa".
  8. "The Legacy the Recently Discovered USS Grayback Left Behind".
  9. "3D Archaeological Models of Newly Discovered US WWII Sub".
  10. Rea, Kyle (5 May 2010). "HMCS St. Thomas anchors new exhibition". St. Thomas Times-Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-03-26.

Bibliography
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