Deadliest German U-Boat Attacks in WWII

By Melissa Bauernfeind Published Dec 11, 11:25AM EST

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Deadliest German U-Boat Attacks in WWII — © Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-4260-37 / Kramer / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

German U-boats have inflicted devastating damage since the First World War, where they sunk more than 5,000 merchant ships. However, they were even more deadly during World War II, when a total of 8,000 merchant ships were lost. These U-boats were one of the major components of the Second World War, having dealt significant damage to Allied shipping. The submarines used stealth and strategic tactics, augmented by intelligence gathered on merchant vessels, to inflict maximum destruction. German U-boats strategically targeted ships, causing disruptions across the Atlantic Ocean’s shipping lanes.

While the Allies labored to refine their strategies to counter this menace, the toll from these assaults amounted to the loss of thousands of lives. These tragic occurrences underscore the profound devastation inflicted by the German U-boat fleet during WWII. The magnitude of loss was staggering and, in certain instances, indiscriminate, impacting both military personnel and civilians aboard these ill-fated vessels.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed 25 ships with the greatest loss of life during WWII (lost to U-boats), a list compiled by Uboat.net, an online database of ships sunk during the world wars to identify the ships that German U-boats sank during WWII that resulted in the greatest loss of life. The 25 ships are ordered by how many lives were lost from the sinking. Supplemental information on the type of each ship, their size (in terms of tonnage), nationality, and when they were sunk also came from Uboat.net.

On September 12, 1942, the British troop transport Laconia fell prey to the German sub U-156. Full of civilians, military personnel, and prisoners of war, the ship was torpedoed, leading to an estimated loss of 1,658 lives—mostly Italian POWs—out of a complement of around 2,740. The U-boat commander then attempted to rescue the survivors, but still-afloat allied ships continued to attempt to sink the sub, despite the survivors visible in lifeboats. This angered the Germans and led to the Laconia Order, which forbade U-boats from attempting to rescue the crews of the vessels sunk.

The Arandora Star’s demise occurred near the Irish coast in early July 1940, as it fell victim to torpedoes fired by the German U-47. Laden with approximately 1,200 Italian and German civilian internees, the ship suffered a loss of over 800 lives in the sinking. (Also see, This is the nation with the most military submarines: see where the US ranks.)

This list comprises a variety of vessel types, including both military and civilian craft. All were sunk within the European Theater or the Mediterranean/African Theater, with sinking dates spanning from as early as 1939 to the conclusion of 1944. (Also see: The Fate of Every American Aircraft Carrier in World War II.)

Here are the Deadliest German U-Boat Attacks in WWII

25. HMS Hecla (F-20)

Number dead: 279
Sinking date: Nov. 12, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Destroyer tender
Tonnage: 10,850

24. P-4

Number dead: 294
Sinking date: Aug. 17, 1942
Nationality: Soviet Union
Type: Barge
Tonnage: 500

23. Calabria

Number dead: 360
Sinking date: Dec. 8, 1940
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage: 9,515

22. Almeda Star

Number dead: 360
Sinking date: Jan. 17, 1941
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage: 14,936

21. Abosso

Number dead: 362
Sinking date: Oct. 29, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Motor passenger ship
Tonnage: 11,330

20. Doggerbank

Number dead: 364
Sinking date: March 3, 1943
Nationality: Germany
Type: Motor merchant
Tonnage: 5,154

19. HMS Fidelity (D-57)

Number dead: 368
Sinking date: Dec. 30, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Special service vessel
Tonnage: 2,456

18. Marina Raskova

Number dead: 373
Sinking date: Aug. 12, 1944
Nationality: Soviet Union
Type: Steam merchant
Tonnage: 7,540

17. Brazza

Number dead: 379
Sinking date: May 28, 1940
Nationality: France
Type: Motor passenger ship
Tonnage: 10,387

16. HMS Penelope (97)

Number dead: 417
Sinking date: Feb. 18, 1944
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Light cruiser
Tonnage: 5,270

15. HMS Dunedin (D-93)

Number dead: 419
Sinking date: Nov. 24, 1941
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Light cruiser
Tonnage: 4,850

14. HMS Galatea (71)

Number dead: 470
Sinking date: Dec. 15, 1941
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Light cruiser
Tonnage: 5,220

13. Yoma

Number dead: 484
Sinking date: June 17, 1943
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 8,131

12. HMS Avenger (D-14)

Number dead: 514
Sinking date: Nov. 15, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Escort carrier
Tonnage: 13,785

11. HMS Courageous (50)

Number dead: 518
Sinking date: Sept. 17, 1939
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Aircraft carrier
Tonnage: 22,500

10. Sidi-Bel-Abbès

Apollonia IMO 5414828 P Venedig 10-1972 by Wolfgang Fricke

Apollonia IMO 5414828 P Venedig 10-1972 (CC BY 3.0) by Wolfgang Fricke

Number dead: 611
Sinking date: April 20, 1943
Nationality: France
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 4,392

9. Ceramic

Number dead: 654
Sinking date: Dec. 7, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage: 18,713

8. Dorchester

Number dead: 675
Sinking date: Feb. 3, 1943
Nationality: United States
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 5,649

7. Shuntien

SS Shuntien (CC BY-SA 3.0) by RobJ, WikiSwire

Number dead: 700
Sinking date: Dec. 23, 1941
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage: 3,059

6. Arandora Star

Number dead: 805
Sinking date: July 2, 1940
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage: 15,501

5. Leopoldville

Number dead: 819
Sinking date: Dec. 24, 1944
Nationality: Belgium
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 11,509

4. HMS Royal Oak (08)

Number dead: 835
Sinking date: Oct. 14, 1939
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Battleship
Tonnage: 29,150

3. Nova Scotia

Number dead: 858
Sinking date: Nov. 28, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 6,796

2. HMS Barham (04)

Number dead: 862
Sinking date: Nov. 25, 1941
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Battleship
Tonnage: 31,100

1. Laconia

Number dead: 1,658
Sinking date: Sept. 12, 1942
Nationality: United Kingdom
Type: Troop transport
Tonnage: 19,695

About the Author Melissa Bauernfeind →

Melissa Bauernfeind was born in NYC and got her degree in Journalism from Boston University. She lived in San Diego for 10 years and is now back in NYC. She loves adventure and traveling the world with her husband but always misses her favorite little man, "P", half Chihuahua/half Jack Russell, all trouble. She got dive-certified so she could dive with the Great White Sharks someday and is hoping to swim with the Orcas as well.