List of all U-boats

U-15

Type

IIB

 
Ordered2 Feb 1935
Laid down24 Sep 1935 Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 250)
Launched15 Feb 1936
Commissioned7 Mar 1936Kptlt. Werner von Schmidt
Commanders
30 Sep 1935 - 1 Oct 1937  Kptlt. Werner von Schmidt
16 May 1936 - 2 Aug 1936  Kptlt. Hans Cohausz
1 Oct 1937 - 26 Oct 1939  Kptlt. Heinz Buchholz
27 Oct 1939 - 30 Jan 1940  Kptlt. Peter Frahm
Career
5 patrols
1 Mar 1936-1 Aug 1939  1. Flottille (active service)
1 Sep 1939-31 Dec 1939  1. Flottille (active service)
1 Jan 1940-30 Jan 1940  1. Flottille (active service)
Successes3 ships sunk, total tonnage 4,532 GRT
Fate

Sank 30 January 1940 in the North Sea north of Heligoland, in position 54.24,7N, 07.50,7E, after a collision with the German torpedo boat Iltis. 25 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 3 ships hit by U-15 - View the 5 war patrols

The sinking of U-15: During the night of 29/30 January 1940 the German torpedo boats Iltis, Luchs and Wolf were proceeding at high speed in bad visibility due to snow squalls when U-15 was spotted close to the starboard bow of Iltis, which immediately took evasive action but could not avoid a collision. At 0305hrs the U-boat was rammed behind the conning tower and quickly sank by the stern. No survivors were found despite a search carried out by the three torpedo boats until 0428hrs.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-15 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.


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-15 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 18 Sep 1911 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 7 Jul 1912. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 15 during WWI.




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