The U-boat, short for Unterseeboot (undersea boat), was the name for submarines used by the German Navy during the First World War (1914-18) and Second World War (1939-45). In the two Battles of the Atlantic, U-boats sank thousands of ships, but defensive strategies such as dropping depth charges, providing air cover, and, above all, the convoy system, ensured Britain was supplied with the resources it needed to continue both wars until victory was achieved on land.
More about: U-BoatDefinition
Timeline
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Feb 1915The German government declares unrestricted submarine warfare.
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7 May 1915The German U-boat U-20 sinks the passenger liner RMS Lusitania.
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1 Sep 1915The German government declares the end of unrestricted submarine warfare.
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1916Deutschland, the first cargo-carrying U-boat, is put in service.
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Oct 1939The U-boat U-46 captained by Günther Prien sinks the British battleship HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow.
