View source for List of most successful German U-boats

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{{no footnotes|date=March 2013}}

[[File:U995 2004 1.jpg|thumb|Type VIIC U-boat]]

'''List of successful U-boats''' contains lists of the most successful German [[U-boat]]s in the two [[World War]]s based on total [[tonnage]].

== World War I ==
This list contains the 5 most successful German U-boats during the [[First World War]] based on total tonnage. Only sunk commercial vessels are included, not military ([[warships]]) nor damaged ships.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 5 Top-scoring U-boats of World War I
|-
! Boat
! Type
! Commissioned
! Total<br/>tonnage
! Ships<br/>sunk
! Patrols
! class="unsortable" | Fate
! class="unsortable" | Captains
|-valign="top"
| {{SMU|U-35|Germany|6}}
| [[Type U 31 submarine|Type U 31]]
| 3 November 1914
| align=center | 505,121
| align=center | 220
| align=center | 17
| Surrendered, 26 November 1918
| [[Waldemar Kophamel]]<br/>[[Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière]]<br/>[[Ernst von Voigt]]<br/>[[Heino von Heimburg]]
|-valign="top"
| {{SMU|U-39}}
| [[Type U 31 submarine|Type U 31]]
| 13 January 1915
| align=center | 404,774
| align=center | 149
| align=center | 19
| Surrendered, 22 March 1919
| [[Hans Kratzsch]]<br>[[Walter Forstmann]]<br>[[Heinrich Metzger]]
|-valign="top"
| {{SMU|U-38}}
| [[Type U 31 submarine|Type U 31]]
| 15 December 1914
| align=center | 287,811
| align=center | 134
| align=center | 17
| Surrendered, 23 February 1919
| [[Max Valentiner]]<br/>[[Wilhelm Canaris]]<br/>[[Hans Heinrich Wurmbach]]<br/>[[Clemens Wickel]]
|-valign="top"
| {{SMU|U-34|Germany|6}}
| [[Type U 31 submarine|Type U 31]]
| 5 October 1914
| align=center | 257,652
| align=center | 119
| align=center | 17
| Missing, 9 November 1918
| [[Claus Rücker]]<br/>[[Wilhelm Canaris]]<br/>[[Johannes Klasing]]
|-valign="top"
| {{SMU|U-53||6}}
| Type U 51
| 22 April 1916
| align=center | 224,314
| align=center | 87
| align=center | 13
| Surrendered, 1 December 1918
| [[Hans Rose]]<br/>[[Otto von Schrader]]
|}

== World War II ==
This list contains the 10 most successful German U-boats during the [[Second World War]] based on total [[tonnage]]. Both commercial and military vessels ([[warships]]) are included but only sunk ships are included, not damaged ships.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 10 Top-scoring U-boats of World War II
|-
! Boat
! Type
! Commissioned
! Total<br/>tonnage
! Ships<br/>sunk
! Patrols
! Fate
! Captains
|-
| {{GS|U-48|1939|2}}
| ''[[Type VII submarine|VIIB]]''
| 22 April 1939
| 300,537
| 51
| 12
| Scuttled, 3 May 1945
| [[Herbert Schultze]]<br/>[[Hans-Rudolf Rösing]]<br/>[[Heinrich Bleichrodt]]
|-
| {{GS|U-99|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type VII submarine|VIIB]]''
| 18 April 1940
| 244,658
| 38
| 8
| Scuttled, 17 March 1941 after depth charging by {{HMS|Walker|D27|6}}.
| [[Otto Kretschmer]]
|-
| {{GS|U-103|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXB]]''
| 18 April 1940
| 237,596
| 45
| 11
| Decommissioned March 1944. Sunk by bombs in [[Kiel]], 15 April 1945.
| [[Viktor Schütze]]<br/>[[Werner Winter (U-boat commander)|Werner Winter]]
|-
| {{GS|U-124|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXB]]''
| 11 June 1940
| 225,637
| 48
| 11
| Lost with all hands, 2 April 1943 after depth charging by {{HMS|Stonecrop|K142|6}} and {{HMS|Black Swan|L57|6}}.
| [[Georg-Wilhelm Schulz]]<br/>[[Johann Mohr]]
|-
| {{GS|U-123|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXB]]''
| 30 May 1940
| 222,705
| 44
| 12
| Decommissioned 17 June 1944. Scuttled in port, 19 August 1944. Refloated and taken into French service as ''Blaison''.
| [[Karl-Heinz Moehle]]<br/>[[Reinhard Hardegen]]<br/>[[Horst von Schroeter]]
|-
| {{GS|U-107|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXB]]''
| 8 October 1940
| 217,786
| 39
| 13
| Lost with all hands 18 August 1944 after depth charging by a [[Short Sunderland|Sunderland]] of [[No. 201 Squadron RAF|201 Squadron]] [[RAF]].
| [[Günter Hessler]]<br/>[[Harald Gelhaus]]<br/>[[Volker Simmermacher]]<br/>[[Karl-Heinz Fritz]]
|-
| {{GS|U-37|1938|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IX]]''
| 4 August 1938
| 202,467
| 55
| 11
| Scuttled, 8 May 1945
| [[Heinrich Schuch]]<br/>[[Werner Hartmann]]<br/>[[Victor Oehrn]]<br/>[[Asmus Nicolai Clausen]]<br/>[[Ulrich Folkers]]
|-
| {{GS|U-66|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXC]]''
| 20 March 1940
| 200,021
| 33
| 9
| Sunk 6 May 1944 by [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]]s and [[Grumman TBF Avenger]]s of {{USS|Block Island|CVE-21|6}}, rammed by destroyer escort {{USS|Buckley|DE-51|6}}.
| [[Richard Zapp]]<br/>[[Friedrich Markworth]]<br/>[[Paul Frerks]]<br/>[[Gerhard Seehausen]]
|-
| {{GS|U-68|1940|2}}
| ''[[Type IX submarine|IXC]]''
| 11 February 1941
| 197,998
| 33
| 10
| Sunk 10 April 1944, depth charges and rockets fired by F4F Wildcats and TBM Avengers of {{USS|Guadalcanal|CVE-60|6}}.
| [[Karl-Friedrich Merten]]<br/>[[Albert Lauzemis]]<br/>[[Ekkehard Scherraus]]<br/>[[Gerhard Seehausen]]<br/>[[Albert Lauzemis]]
|-
| {{GS|U-47|1938|2}}
| ''[[Type VII submarine|VIIB]]''
| 17 December 1938
| 191,919
| 31
| 10
| Missing with all hands, on or about 7 March 1941 while patrolling south of Iceland between 59 deg and 62 deg north.<br>
Reason behind her sinking is still unknown with theories ranging from attacks by [[corvettes]] {{HMS|Camellia|K31|6}} and {{HMS|Arbutus|K86|6}}, mines, mechanical failure, and possibly becoming victim of her own torpedoes.
| [[Günther Prien]]
|}

==References==
* [http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/ uboat.net webpage about the most successful U-Boats of World War I] - This list does not include military vessels.
* [http://uboat.net/ops/successful_boats.htm uboat.net webpage about the most successful U-Boats of World War II] - This list does not include military vessels and is therefore not identical to list above.
* [http://www.uboataces.com/articles-successful-attack.shtml uboataces.com webpages about the most successful U-Boats of World War II] - This list seems to miss ''U-123'' in top 5 list.

{{Uboat}}

[[Category:U-boats]]
[[Category:Submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:Lists of ships of Germany|U-Boats]]
[[Category:Lists of submarines|U-Boats]]
[[Category:German naval-related lists|U-boats, most successful]]