U-53
Type | VIIB | |||||||||
| Ordered | 15 May, 1937 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 13 Mar, 1937 | Germaniawerft, Kiel (werk 588) | ||||||||
| Launched | 6 May, 1939 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 24 Jun, 1939 | Oblt. Dietrich Knorr | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career | 3 patrols | 24 Jun, 1939 - 31 Dec, 1939 7. Flottille (training) 1 Jan, 1940 - 23 Feb, 1940 7. Flottille (front boat) | ||||||||
| Successes | 7 ships sunk for a total of 27.316 GRT 1 ship damaged for a total of 8.022 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 23 Feb, 1940 in the North Sea in the mid Orkneys, in position 60.32N, 06.14W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Gurkha. 42 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
See the 8 ships hit by U-53 - View the 3 war patrols
Attacks on this boat
17 Sep, 1939
Several Swordfish aircraft from the British fleet carrier HMS Courageous attacked the boat with gunfire forcing the boat to crash dive. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 90)
1 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-53 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
 German U-Boat Losses During World War II Niestle, Axel Buy this title at amazon.co.uk See more sellers |
Books dealing with this subject include: German U-Boat Losses During World War II, Niestle, Axel, 1998 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998 |
There was another U-53 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 1 Feb, 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 22 Apr, 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 53 during WWI.