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Deadliest German U-Boat Attacks in WWII

24/7 Wall St. Staff

Published: December 11, 2023 11:25 am

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)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

24. P-4

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

23. Calabria

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

22. Almeda Star

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

21. Abosso

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

20. Doggerbank

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

19. HMS Fidelity (D-57)

Source: Public Domain / Picryl

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

18. Marina Raskova

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

17. Brazza

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

16. HMS Penelope (97)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

15. HMS Dunedin (D-93)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

14. HMS Galatea (71)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

13. Yoma

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

12. HMS Avenger (D-14)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

11. HMS Courageous (50)

Source: 94374792@N04 / Flickr

• 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 (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

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

8. Dorchester

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• 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

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

5. Leopoldville

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

4. HMS Royal Oak (08)

Source: library_of_congress / Flickr

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

3. Nova Scotia

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

2. HMS Barham (04)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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

1. Laconia

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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