Ships hit by U-boats in WWII

Ships not hit by U-boats


These ships below have been in our Ships Attacked databases at one time but removed after further research. We decided to include them as a special list to give you a fuller view of the databases and also show you that we simply did not forget to include them :)

We list the U-boat that was believed to have been responsible for the attack.

Date U-boat NameTypeTonsNat.
 15 Feb 1941 U-123Alnmoor Steam merchant6,573+
 Earlier this attack of U-123 was attributed with the sinking of Alnmoor, but newer research shows that the ship sunk was Holystone. The Alnmoor was sunk by the Italian submarine Bianchi on 14 February 1941.

 27 Apr 1941 U-110André Moyrand Steam merchant2,471+
 The ship survived the war, the victim of U-110 was Henri Mory.

 3 Feb 1940 U-26British Councillor Steam tanker7,048+
 The tanker sank after a mine hit on 3 February. The U-boat reported a hit with a dud torpedo on a Norwegian ship.

 12 Dec 1942 U-632C.J. Barkdull Steam tanker6,773+
 The tanker collided with another ship when forming convoy UGS-3 and continued, but was reported missing thereafter. The U-boat attacked an unknown tanker far north from her route, so she was probably lost by marine accident in heavy weather.

 22 Dec 1942 U-565Cameronia Troop transport16,297=
 At 06.34 hours on 22 December, the ship was damaged by a torpedo from a German Ju88 aircraft (III./KG 26) in convoy KMF-5 and not by the attack of U-565 at 01.24 hours on 21 December. The U-boat apparently missed the intended target, later heard a torpedo detonation and claimed a hit that is not confirmed by Allied sources.

 21 Aug 1943 U-458Cape Mohican Steam merchant5,094=
 The ship was accidently hit by an Allied torpedo during a night time alarm. The U-boat did not report an attack.

 28 Jun 1940 U-102Castleton Steam trawler211+
 U-102 did not return from patrol, but it was earlier thought that this U-boat had sunk the trawler Castleton which was reported missing in the same area the U-boat operated. Newer research shows that the trawler was in fact bombed and sunk by a German Do17Z aircraft of 3./Küstenfliegergruppe 606 east of the Orkney Islands at 09.30 hours on 28 June 1940.

 21 Jun 1940 U-65Champlain Steam passenger ship28,124+
 The ship already sank on 17 June by an air-laid mine off La Pallice. U-65 sank Berenice in this attack.

 26 Sep 1943 U-161Cisne Branco Sailing ship300
 The ship was lost after a collision with the Brazilian motor merchant Aracati, the U-boat did not report an attack.

 29 Sep 1943 U-20Dunaj 2 Barge1,150+
 The barge was lost on a mine in the Asow Sea, so the mine was for sure not laid by U-20.

 28 Dec 1944 U-772Empire Javelin Landing ship infantry7,177+
 The fate of U-772 was revised. It was lost earlier and no other U-boat is known that could have been the attacker. The ship was probably mined.

 19 Jan 1942 U-109Empire Kingfisher Motor merchant6,082+
 The ship was lost by grounding, the target of U-109 is unknown.

 10 Nov 1944 U-300Empire Wold Steam tug269+
 The KTB does not mention an attack, so the ship was more likely lost in stormy weather.

 26 Jan 1941 U-105Heemskerk Steam merchant6,516+
 During the night of 25/26 Jan 1941, U-105 sank an abandoned ship which was earlier identified as Heemskerk, but this ship had been bombed by a German Fw200 aircraft in convoy SL-61 on 20 January and was seen to sink the next day by HMS Arbutus. The description of the wreck and the date of the sinking prove that the ship finished off by U-105 was the Lurigethan.

 4 Jan 1945 U-1232HMCS HDML-1163 Motor launch65=
 The vessel was damaged in a collision with another escort vessel when hunting the U-boat.

 21 Dec 1939 U-21HMS Bayonet (Z 05) Boom defence vessel605+
 The location of the wreck of HMS Bayonet in the South Inchkeith Channel off Leith confirms that the vessel struck a mine in a British defensive minefield and not a mine laid by U-21 as earlier thought.

 20 Sep 1939 U-26HMS Kittiwake (L 30) Patrol vessel530=
 HMS Kittiwake (L 30) hit a mine in the English Channel and it was thought that it was a mine laid by U-26 off Portland. In fact, the vessel was damaged by a British mine in a defensive barrage in the Strait of Dover.

 10 Jul 1945 U-218HMS Kurd (FY 639) M/S trawler352
 

HMS Kurd (FY 639) struck a mine in the English Channel and it was thought that it was a mine laid by U-218 off Lizard Head. In fact, the vessel was sunk when a mine was accidentally detonated while sweeping a British defensive mine barrage.



 3 Feb 1943 U-456HMS Londonderry (U 76) Sloop990=
 The ship was damaged by a premature detonation of a depth charge when attacking the U-boat.

 2 Mar 1944 U-744HMS LST-324 Landing ship1,625=
 This landing ship was originally reported as being torpedoed in a radio message from an escort, but in fact the ship only stopped to rescue survivors from HMS LST-362 which had been hit in this attack of U-744.

 15 Nov 1943 U-565HMS Simoom (P 225) Submarine715
 On 2 Nov 1943, the submarine sailed from Port Said, Egypt to operate in the Aegean Sea and was reported missing thereafter. On 15 November, U-565 fired a Gnat at a submarine southeast of Kos and heard a detonation, but it is improbable that HMS Simoom (P 225) was in this area. She was possibly lost on 4 November of Donoussa island, Cyclades, Greece in a newly laid German minefield.

 30 Mar 1942 U-456HMS Sulla (FY 1874) M/S trawler251+
 The loss of HMS Sulla (FY 1874) was sometimes attributed to an attack of U-456 on 30 March, but the target of this attack was Effingham. The M/S trawler was reported missing in a gale during the night of 24/25 March and most likely iced up and sank after capsizing.

 31 Dec 1944 U-1020HMS Zephyr Destroyer1,710=
 On 31 Dec 1944, the British destroyer HMS Zephyr was slightly damaged by an explosion west of the Pentland Firth. According to British reports this was very likely caused by a floating mine and not by a torpedo.

 4 Jul 1944 U-539Hollywood Steam tanker5,498=
 The ship was only identified by a radio message, a damage can not be confirmed from Allied sources.

 9 Dec 1944 U-862Ilissos Steam merchant4,724=
 The U-boat attacked this ship with gunfire, but missed.

 17 Oct 1941 U-83Indra Steam merchant2,032+
 The U-boat reported an attack with gunfire on a patrol craft, the target could not have been this old ship, which was either lost by marine accident or by air attack.

 5 Oct 1941 U-204Jon Steam merchant744+
 The U-boat did not return from patrol, so there is no attack report. The ship was sunk by German aircraft.

 8 May 1941 U-201Kervegan Steam merchant2,018+
 The ship was lost by marine accident on 9 February. U-201 hit an unknown passenger vessel with a dud torpedo.

 19 Oct 1944 U-1165KM-321 Coastal minesweeper12+
 The vessel was lost on a mine in Narwa Bay, the target of U-1165 is not known.

 23 Nov 1940 U-123Kolchis Steam merchant2,219+
 The ship is reported missing from convoy SC-13 and most likely lost in a storm. The U-boat missed the intended target in convoy OB-244 and reported a hit on another ship, but this is not confirmed by Allied sources.

 17 Jan 1942 U-203Kolkhoznik Steam merchant3,879+
 The ship was lost by grounding, the target of U-203 was Octavian.

 23 Feb 1945 U-5330La Combattante Destroyer escort1,050+
 

Claimed torpedoed and sunk east of Dungeness by the German (Seehund) midget submarine U-5330 (Lt. Sparbrodt).

She was more likely sunk on a mine laid on 16 February 1945 by German MTBs (Schnellboote or E-boats) off the Humber estuary.



 23 Jun 1943 U-18Leningrad Steam merchant1,783+
 The ship had been sunk by German aircraft off Evpatroia in October 1941, was later raised and was still under repair in Batumi on that date. U-18 missed the Soviet steam tug Petrash.

 15 Feb 1945 U-245Liseta Turbine tanker2,628total loss
 The U-boat did not report an attack on that day. The ship in convoy TAM-80 was torpedoed by the German (Seehund) midget submarine U-5332 (Lt. Wolter) in 51°25N/01°26E and was not repaired during the war.

 26 Aug 1944 U-711M-108 Submarine206+
 The submarine was already reported missing in February 1944. U-711 missed the Soviet submarine S-51.

 4 Dec 1943 U-20M-36 Submarine161+
 The submarine sank after a marine accident on 4 Jan 1944 and not on a mine laid by U-20.

 16 Mar 1942 U-504Manaqui Steam merchant2,802+
 Judging from the date and reported attack position, the victim of this attack must have been Stangarth. She was earlier attributed to an attack of the Italian submarine Morosini on 12 March, which sank Manaqui instead.

 24 Feb 1942 U-432 Norlavore Steam merchant2,713+
 The ship was lost in heavy weather, the U-boat did not report an attack.

 1 Sep 1944 U-23Regina Maria Destroyer1,850=
 The destroyer was not hit in the attack on Constanza harbour, the torpedo probably hit the shore.

 4 Jul 1944 U-763Ringen Steam merchant1,499+
 The U-boat carried out two torpedo attacks in the evening of 5 July, but the target could not have been Ringen which sank after being mined in the morning of 4 July.

 4 Oct 1942 U-254Robert H. Colley Steam tanker11,651+
 In the afternoon on 4 Oct 1942, the tanker in convoy HX-209 broke in two in very bad weather in 58°57N/26°20W, parts of the wreck being scuttled by an escort the next day. The U-boat had reported an attack on a drifting tanker, but this happened a day earlier and sank the wreck of Esso Williamsburg.

 17 Jan 1942 U-123San José Steam merchant3,358+
 The ship sank after a collision with the American steam merchant Santa Elisa off Atlantic City, so the victim of U-123, if any, is not known.

 5 Jul 1944 U-390Sea Porpoise Steam merchant7,934=
 The U-boat did not return from patrol, but it could not have attacked the Sea Porpoise because she was damaged by an underwater explosion several hours after U-390 had been sunk. The ship most likely struck a mine.

 17 Oct 1943 U-636SKR-14 M/S trawler558+
 It was believed that this vessel was sunk by a U-boat laid mine, but she was lost by grounding.

 23 Dec 1944 U-772Slemish Steam merchant1,536+
 The fate of U-772 was revised. It was lost earlier and no other U-boat is known that could have been the attacker. The ship was probably mined.

 31 Mar 1943 U-24Sovetskaja Neft Motor tanker8,228=
 A damage to this ship is not confirmed. U-24 hit the Kreml.

 24 Nov 1939 U-33Sussex Motor merchant13,647=
 The ship hit an air-laid mine and not one in the minefield of U-33.

 20 Mar 1940 U-22Svinta Steam merchant1,267+
 The U-boat did not return from patrol, but an attack on the ship on this day and the reported position is not possible. The ship had been damaged the same day in an air attack and sank in tow after an explosion, which was probably caused by a mine or a delayed bomb.

 5 Feb 1945 U-992T-116 Fleet minesweeper625+
 The vessel was not damaged or sunk that day, it is not confirmed that she was the ship attacked.

 15 Jun 1944 U-621USS LST-280 Landing ship1,625=
 USS LST-280 was damaged by a torpedo in the English Channel during the night of 14/15 June 1944 and it was thought that she had been hit by U-621, but this U-boat actually damaged USS LST-133. German torpedo bombers flew several sorties that night and USS LST-280 was probably hit by one of them.

 7 Sep 1943 U-431USS LST-417 Landing ship1,625$
 The ship was hit by German aircraft, the U-boat did not report an attack.

 5 Jan 1943 U-354Vanzetti Steam merchant2,363=
 The ship was not hit in the attack.

 17 Jul 1943 U-18Voroshilov Steam merchant3,908+
 The ship had been sunk by German aircraft off Ozerejka in March 1942, was later raised and still under repair in Suchumi on that date. U-18 missed the Soviet motor merchant Traktorist.

 1 Feb 1943 U-118Wivern Destroyer1,120=
 The ship was damaged by detonations of depth charges from the sinking HMCS Weyburn and not by a mine from U-118.

 1 May 1942 U-109Worden Motor merchant555+
 The U-boat apparently misinterpreted a radio message when claiming this ship, which escaped undamaged.

 15 Nov 1941 U-752ZM-93 Jushar Auxiliary minelayer2,020=
 The U-boat claimed a hit on the vessel, but she escaped undamaged.

Legend
(+) means the ship was sunk (but not by a U-boat).
(=) means the ship was damaged in the action.
(total loss) means the ship was declared a total loss.

56 ships previously believed to have been hit by U-boats. Total GRT of these ships is 198,766 tons.

If you miss a certain ship from this listing please let us know.

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