U-553

 
 
 

Type

VIIC 

 

Laid down

21 Nov 1939

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg

Commissioned

23 Dec 1940

Kptlt. Karl Thurmann (Knights Cross) 

Commander

12.40 - 01.43 

Korvkpt. Karl Thurmann 

Career

10 patrols 

12.40 - 04.41 7th Flotilla (Kiel) training 
04.41 - 11.42 7th Flotilla (St. Nazaire) front boat 
11.42 - 01.43 3rd Flotilla (La Pallice) front boat 

Successes

15 ships sunk for a total of 85,510 tons
1 ship of 6,959 tons damaged 

Fate

Missing, presumed sunk, in the mid North Atlantic after going missing in January 1943*. 47 dead (all crew lost).

 

* Last radio-message sent on 20 Jan, 1943: "Seerohr unklar" (periscope not clear) 

Data from www.uboat.net -- Copied with permission from author.

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