German submarine U-95 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 16 September 1939 by Germaniawerft at Kiel as yard number 600 and commissioned on 31 August 1940. In seven patrols, she sank eight ships for a total of and damaged four other vessels for a total of .
U-95 was sunk by a torpedo from the Dutch submarine on 28 November 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-95 had a displacement of 769t when at the surface and 871t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.1m (220.1feet), a pressure hull length of 50.5m (165.7feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaN-1NaN-1 for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23m (04.04feet) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel 8500nmi at 10kn. U-95 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2sp=usNaNsp=us C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
U-95 was a member of two wolfpacks.
The boat left Kiel for her first patrol on 20 November 1940. She entered the Northern Atlantic Ocean and damaged Ringhorn on the 28th with her deck gun, having missed with two torpedoes. The merchantman was hit in the funnel and near the bridge, but the action could not be brought to a successful conclusion because of weather conditions. The Germans, believing the ship would sink, left the area but the crew re-boarded her and sailed to Belfast Lough.
U-95 also damaged Conch on 2 December. This ship had already been hit by about west of Bloody Foreland (Ireland). The boat fired four torpedoes, one of which struck the vessel. She was eventually sunk by .
The submarine headed for her new French Atlantic base, arriving at Lorient on 6 December.
U-95 continued the business of damaging ships when she attacked, but did not sink, Walotira northwest of Rockall on 26 December 1940. This vessel met her end due to the actions of U-99 on the 27th.
The boat left Lorient on 16 February 1941 for her third sortie. She sank Cape Nelson and Temple Moat south of Iceland on the 24th.
When Pacific went down on 2 March north of Rockall, there was only one survivor. The destruction of the neutral Murjek was even more bloody. She went to the bottom with all hands on the fifth.
U-95 returned to France, but to St. Nazaire on 19 March.
The boat maintained her success on her fourth patrol, sinking Taranger southwest of Reykjavík in Iceland on 3 May 1941.1930 Built as TARANGER at Burmeister & Wains Maskin- & Skibsbyggeri, København, Danmark for Westfal-Larsen & Co. A/S, Bergen. Launched 12/02, delivered in April. Torpedoed and sunk 03/05 by the German submarine U-95 (Kapitänleutnant Gerd Schreiber) abt. 150 nm South West of Reykjavík, Iceland whilst on a voyage from Liverpool, England via Panama to Vancouver, BC, Canada in ballast. 1 man died. 31 survivors.[1]
For her fifth patrol, U-95 damaged Palma west southwest of Bantry Bay (Ireland)[2] on 20 July 1941. One hit with her deck gun was reported when three rounds had struck their target.
U-95s only kill on her sixth foray was Trinidad. The relatively small ship was sunk with 37 rounds from the boat's deck gun due west of La Rochelle on 6 September 1941.
The submarine successfully forced the heavily defended Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea. She was sunk by a torpedo from the Dutch submarine southwest of Almeria in Spain on 28 November 1941.
35 men died with the U-boat; there were 12 survivors.
U-95 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
| - | Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 November 1940 | Irene Maria |  United Kingdom | 1,862 | Sunk | |
| 28 November 1940 | Ringhorn |  Norway | 1,298 | Damaged | |
| 2 December 1940 | Conch | United Kingdom | 8,376 | Damaged | |
| 26 December 1940 | Waiotira | United Kingdom | 12,823 | Damaged | |
| 24 February 1941 | Cape Nelson | United Kingdom | 3,807 | Sunk | |
| 24 February 1941 | Svein Jarl | Norway | 1,908 | Sunk | |
| 24 February 1941 | Temple Moat | United Kingdom | 4,427 | Sunk | |
| 2 March 1941 | Pacific | United Kingdom | 6,034 | Sunk | |
| 5 March 1941 | Murjek |  Sweden | 5,070 | Sunk | |
| 3 May 1941 | Taranger | Norway | 4,873 | Sunk | |
| 20 July 1941 | Palma | United Kingdom | 5,419 | Damaged | |
| 6 September 1941 | Trinidad |  Panama | 434 | Sunk |