Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Kriegsmarine — Submarine

German submarine U-552

Type VIIC submarine

German submarine U-552
Buchheim, Lothar-Günther — This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project . The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive — CC BY-SA 3.0 de — Wikimedia Commons Plate

Service

  1. Kriegsmarine as U-5524 December 1940 — February 19451,547 days of the war
Type VIIC submarine Particulars
Name
U-552
Builder
Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Ordered
25 September 1939
Laid down
1 December 1939
Launched
14 September 1940
Commissioned
4 December 1940
Decommissioned
February 1945
Fate
Scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven (1945)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
757 long tons (769 t)
Displacement, submerged
857 long tons (871 t)
Length
67.1 m (220.1 ft) OA
Beam
6.2 m (20.3 ft)
Draught
4.74 m (15.6 ft)
Speed
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h, 20.4 mph)
Range
8,500 nmi (15,742 km)
Main gun
88 mm (3.5 in)

U-552 was a Type VIIC submarine built for the Kriegsmarine. Blohm & Voss, Hamburg laid her keel on 1 December 1939. Launched on 14 September 1940, she entered service on 4 December 1940.

She was one of 612 ships of her class. The class followed the Type UB III, Vetehinen class and was succeeded by the Type XXI (Late-war replacement).

The boat displaced 757 long tons surfaced and 857 long tons submerged. She measured 67.1 m (220 ft) long with a beam of 6.2 m (20 ft). Her designed speed was 17.7 knots.

Her main battery was one 88 mm (3.5 in) guns.

She was in commission for 1,547 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned in February 1945.

She was scuttled on 5 May 1945. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × diesel engines
  • 2 × electric motors.
Power
  • 2800 - 3200 PS (diesels)
  • 750 PS (electric)
Armament
  • 5 × 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern)
  • 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines
  • 1 × 8.8 cm deck gun (220 rounds)
  • 1 x 2 cm C/30 AA gun

Sister ships

587 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from German submarine U-552 on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Buchheim, Lothar-Günther — This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project . The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive — CC BY-SA 3.0 de — Wikimedia Commons