German submarine UA (1939) explained

German submarine UA was one of fourteen foreign U-boats in the German Kriegsmarine during the Second World War.

Class

Built at Kiel as one of four submarines of the Ay class for Turkey, Batiray as she was to have been named, was not handed over to the Turkish Navy, being seized by Germany and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine in 1939. Two sister ships, and, had been delivered in June 1939. One boat,, was built slowly in a Turkish shipyard.[1] The design was a modification of the Type IX to fit Turkish requirements. Two of the Turkish U-boats served in the Turkish Navy until 1957, but Atilay was lost in a training exercise off Çanakkale.

Service

UA was commissioned on 20 September 1939 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz. She had been built as a minelayer by the Turks but the Germans used her like a Type IX U-boat.[1] UA was attacked on 8 March 1941 by the destroyer but survived. During her service, she sank eight Allied ships, including the British 13,950 GRT armed merchant cruiser . Only ten ships in total were destroyed by the Foreign U-boats, UA destroying eight of those.[1] She was used on training duties from July 1942 and carried out no more operational patrols. As the war was drawing to a close she was scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel.[2]

Summary of raiding history

DateShip NameNationalityTonnage
(GRT)
Fate
16 June 194013,950Sunk
26 June 1940Crux Norway3,828Sunk
14 July 1940Sarita Norway5,824Sunk
3 August 1940Rad4,201Sunk
15 August 1940Aspasia Greece4,211Sunk
19 August 1940Kelet4,295Sunk
20 August 1940Tuira Panama4,397Sunk
8 March 1941Dunaff Head United Kingdom5,258Sunk

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Foreign U-boats UA . Helgason . Guðmundur . German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net . 30 April 2015.
  2. Book: Wynn . Kenneth . U-boat operations of the second world war. Vol. 2 Career histories, U511 - UIT25 . 1998 . Chatham . London . 1861760698 . 278.