U-637

Type

VIIC

Ordered

20 Jan 1941

Laid down

17 Oct 1941

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 613)

Launched

7 Jul 1942

Commissioned

27 Aug 1942

Kptlt. Max Dieterich

Commanders

27 Aug 1942	-	22 Feb 1943	Kptlt. Max Bernd Dieterich
23 Feb 1943	-	20 Jul 1944	Kptlt. Günther Zedelius
21 Jul 1944	-	30 Sep 1944	Oblt. Fritz Fabricius
1 Oct 1944	-	26 Apr 1945	Kptlt. Wolfgang Riekeberg
Jan, 1945	-	Jan, 1945	Oblt. Walther Ehrhardt
27 Apr 1945	-	9 May 1945	Klaus Weber

Career
3 patrols

27 Aug 1942	-	31 May 1944	5. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1944	-	5 Jul 1944	1. Flottille (active service)
6 Jul 1944	-	1 Jan 1945	8. Flottille (active service)
1 Jan 1945	-	8 May 1945	5. Flottille (active service)

Successes

1 warship sunk, total tonnage 39 tons

Fate

Surrendered at Stavanger, Norway on 9 May 1945.

Transferred to Loch Ryan, Scotland on 27 May 1945 via Lisahally.

Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info)
Foundered in tow and sank on 21 December 1945 at 55.35N x 07.46W.

Final location

See the 1 ships hit by U-637 - View the 3 war patrols

This boat is a dive site

Innes McCartney dove on this boat in 2001 (see his report).

Depth: 230 feet (70 meters)
Position (lat, long): 55.35, -7.46

See more U-boat dive sites.

Attacks on this boat and other events

26 Apr 1945
Norwegian MTBs (motor torpedo boats) 711 and 723 claimed a German U-boat sunk near Utsira, Norway. Their target was U-637, which was not sunk. The commander of U-637 shot himself after being seriously wounded in the face. The Engineering Officer brought the boat to port. Several of the crew died in action. [Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Riekeberg] (Sources: Klart til kamp, Helge Storm Bjercke (1954). Axel Niestlé.)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat

This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in April 1945 but it was of course installed prior to that date.

Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.