Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 30 May 1938 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 11 Nov 1939 | F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 603) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 19 Sep 1940 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 2 Nov 1940 | Kptlt. Jost Metzler (Knights Cross) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career 10 patrols |
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| Successes | 17 ships sunk, total tonnage 67,515 GRT 1 ship damaged, total tonnage 4,887 GRT 1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 5,445 GRT | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Sunk on 17 February 1943 in the North Atlantic east of Newfoundland, in position 50.36N, 41.07W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Fame. 46 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, April 1997). | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Previously recorded fate
- Sunk 17 Feb, 1943 in North Atlantic, in position 50.50N, 40.50W, by
British destroyer HMS Viscount. (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack actually resulted in the sinking of U-201.
Wolfpack operations
U-69 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Seewolf (4 Sep 1941 - 15 Sep 1941)
Brandenburg (15 Sep 1941 - 24 Sep 1941)
Störtebecker (5 Nov 1941 - 19 Nov 1941)
Gödecke (19 Nov 1941 - 25 Nov 1941)
Letzte Ritter (25 Nov 1941 - 3 Dec 1941)
Falke (8 Jan 1943 - 19 Jan 1943)
Haudegen (19 Jan 1943 - 15 Feb 1943)
Attacks on this boat and other events
22 Feb 1941
The U-boat was depth-charged twice by a Sunderland flying boat. (Sources: Kenneth Wynn)
24 Feb 1941
After a night attack on convoy OB 288 one of the escorts hunted the boat for three hours, dropping 22 depth charges, but U-69 escaped undamaged. (Sources: Kenneth Wynn)
21 Mar 1941
The boat was depth charged for several hours by two convoy escorts from an inbound convoy from Halifax. No damage to the boat reported. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 259)
27 Jun 1941
After sinking two ships from convoy SL 78 U-69 was briefly fired on by escorts in the confusion following the attack. She escaped unharmed. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 302)
4 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-69 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
U-boat Emblems
We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 The Laughing Cow |
6 flags and the text Horridoh |
Media links
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There was another U-69 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 24 Jun 1915 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 4 Sep 1915. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 69 during WWI.
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