List of all U-boats

U-17

Type

IIB

 
Ordered2 Feb 1935
Laid down1 Jul 1935 F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 547)
Launched14 Nov 1935
Commissioned3 Dec 1935Oblt. Werner Fresdorf
Commanders
3 Dec 1935 - 1 Nov 1937  Kptlt. Werner Fresdorf
2 Nov 1937 - 11 Sep 1939  Kptlt. Heinz von Reiche
11 Sep 1939 - 17 Oct 1939   Harald Jeppener-Haltenhoff
18 Oct 1939 - 5 Jan 1940   Wolf-Harro Stiebler
6 Jan 1940 - 7 Jul 1940  Kptlt. Udo Behrens
8 Jul 1940 - 4 Jan 1941  Oblt. Herwig Collmann
5 Jan 1941 - 15 Oct 1941  Kptlt. Wolfgang Schultze
2 Oct 1941 - 14 Oct 1941   Otto Wollschläger
16 Oct 1941 - 31 May 1942  Oblt. Ernst Heydemann
1 Jun 1942 - 22 Feb 1943   Walter Sitek
23 Feb 1943 - 25 May 1944  Oblt. Karl-Heinz Schmidt
26 May 1944 - 21 Dec 1944  Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Bartsch
22 Dec 1944 - 6 Feb 1945  Oblt. Friedrich Baumgärtel
Career
4 patrols
1 Dec 1935-1 Aug 1939  1. Flottille (active service)
1 Sep 1939-31 Oct 1939  1. Flottille (active service)
1 Nov 1939-31 Dec 1939  U-Ausbildungsflottille (training)
1 Jan 1940-30 Apr 1940  U-Ausbildungsflottille (active service)
1 May 1940-28 Feb 1943  U-Abwehrschule (school boat)
1 Mar 1943-8 May 1945  22. Flottille (school boat)
Successes3 ships sunk, total tonnage 1,825 GRT
Fate

Scuttled on 5 May, 1945 at Wilhelmshaven at the western entrance to the Raeder lock.

Final location

See the 3 ships hit by U-17 - View the 4 war patrols

General notes on this boat

4 Feb 1940. On 4 February, 1940 U-17 had to break off her patrol due to serious engine trouble in the North Sea.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-17 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

U-boat Emblems

We have 2 emblem entry for this boat! See the emblem page for this boat or view each one below.


Girafffe submerged
World and an Ohm sign

Media links


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1
Wynn, Kenneth


German U-Boat Losses During World War II
Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War
Blair, Clay

There was another U-17 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 16 Apr 1912 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 3 Nov 1912. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 17 during WWI.