⚓ Shipwrecks Map

U-38 1945

U-38 with crew
Image: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).

Key facts

NameU-38Wikidata label
Year lost1945Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier
EraSecond World Warderived from year
Ship typeU-boatWikidata P31 instance of
Cause of lossScuttledWikidata P793 significant event: scuttling
Nationality / flagNazi GermanyWikidata P8047 country of registry
OperatorKriegsmarineWikidata P137 operator
ConflictBattle of the AtlanticWikidata P607 conflict
Sea / oceanNorth SeaNatural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon
Nearest coastGermanyNatural Earth (public domain); approx. 6 km from land
Position53.5700, 8.5300Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0)

About the wreck

German submarine U-38 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

Her keel was laid down on 15 April 1937, by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen as yard number 943. She was launched on 9 August 1938 and commissioned on 24 October with Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe in command.

U-38 conducted eleven patrols, as part of several flotillas. During her career, she sank more than 30 enemy vessels and damaged a further one. U-38 ranks as one of the most successful U-boats in World War II. She was scuttled west of Wesermünde (Modern Bremerhaven) on 5 May 1945. Throughout the war, the U-Boat suffered no losses among her crew.

Location

  • Recorded position: 53.5700, 8.5300 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
  • Sea / ocean: North Sea
  • Nearest coast: Germany

Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.

OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article German submarine U-38 (1938) (revision 1367242967), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.

Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).

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Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Germany · North Sea · Second World War

Further reading