U-20 Uboat Submarine Wreck<:






U-20 Uboat Submarine Wreck<



U-20 submarine was a IIB class German uboat submarine whose produciton started in 1st of August 1935 and finished in 1st of February 1936 in the Germaniawerft dockyards in Kiel. She has been on more than 17 scouting mission under the command of a lot of captains. She sunked 37669 gross tonnaged 14 ships. She has been sunked by her latest captain Karl Grafen in Turkish Seas.

Her commanders:
1 Feb, 1936 - 30 Sep, 1937 Hans Eckermann
1 Oct, 1937 - 17 Jan, 1940 Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle (Knights Cross)
17 Jan, 1940 - 15 Apr, 1940 Kptlt. Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt
2 Apr, 1940 - 15 Apr, 1940 Heinrich Driver
16 Apr, 1940 - 7 Jun, 1940 Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche
8 Jun, 1940 - 5 Jan, 1941 Ottokar Arnold Paulshen
6 Jan, 1941 - 19 May, 1941 Kptlt. Herbert Schauenburg
20 May, 1941 - 4 Dec, 1941 Wolfgang Sträter
5 Dec, 1941 - 27 Mar, 1942 Kurt Nölke
7 May, 1942 - 26 Sep, 1942 Clemens Schöler
27 May, 1943 - 31 Oct, 1943 Kptlt. Clemens Schöler
1 Nov, 1943 - 10 Sep, 1944 Oblt. Karl Grafen

During her 17 patrols she was commissioned to these flotillas:
1 Feb, 1936 - 1 Aug, 1939 3. Flottille (front boat)
1 Sep, 1939 - 31 Dec, 1939 3. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan, 1940 - 30 Apr, 1940 1. Flottille (front boat)
1 May, 1940 - 30 Jun, 1940 1. U-Ausbildungsflottille (school boat)
1 Jul, 1940 - 30 Sep, 1942 21. Flottille (school boat)
1 Oct, 1942 - 10 Sep, 1944 30. Flottille (front boat)



Weight:
Size:
Power:
Speed:
Range:
Guns:

Crew:
Max Depth:
Surfaced 279 tons , submerged 328 tons
42.7 * 4.1 * 3.9 m
700hp Surfaced , 360 hp submerged
13 knots Surfaced (24km/h) ; 7 knots submerged(13km/h)
8 knots 5000km Surfaced ; 4 knots submerged 70km
5 torpedo tubes
No deck gun
22-24
150m (500 ft)


In the World War II, in order to support the war from sea, Germany who was in war with Russia, decided to establish a sea fleet in the Black Sea. After the neutral side Turkey closed the straits, Germans bring their ships to Romania by boats from Elbe and Tuna rivers and by trucks from the roads. The sea fleet established in the Kostence harbour was a lot of attack boats, mine cleaner ships and six submarines in his structure. The submarines fighted against the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea. But the land wars turned against the Germans. Red army, captured Romania in August 1944 and sunked the three of the submarines in the Kostence harbour. The other three which managed to escape from the harbour was stucked in the Black sea after Russia captured Bulgaria. Without any other chances the captains of the submarines decided to sunk their submarines near the Turkish Coast. Their plan was to reach the Aegean islands and somehow to reach Germany from there. In the night of 10 th and 11th of september 1944 the submarines have been sunked by their crew near Eregli. But unfortunately after a few days in Turkiye they were caught and kept heldive in Beysehir and Isparta for two years.







She was sunk at 21:30 o'clock at 10th os september 1944 at 41.10N, 30.47E coordinates.

Books that mention about this submarine:
German U-Boat Losses During World War II, Niestle, Axel, 1998
Okrety plyna po ladzie, Piwowoñski, Jan, 1959
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998

U-20 Submarine's detailed operation list.

U-20 submarine's crew list.

Ships sunk by U-20:
21 November 1939 : S.S. "Ionian" (3114 tons) by mines laid by her between 18/11/1939 and 24/11/1939
29 November 1939 : S.S. "Willowpool" (4815 tons) by mines laid by her between 18/11/1939 and 24/11/1939
09 December 1939 : S.S. "Magnus" (1339 tons)
13 January 1940 : S.S. "Sylvia" (1524 tons)
27 January 1940 : S.S. "Faro" ( 844 tons), S.S. "Fredensburg" (2094 tons), S.S. "England" (2319 tons), S.S. "Hosanger" 1591 tons)
29 February 1940 : S.S. "Maria Rosa" (4211 tons)
01 March 1940 : S.S. "Mirella" (5340 tons)
30 September 1943 : barge "Dunaj 2" (1150 tons)
16 January 1944 : "Vajyan Kutjurve" (7602 tons)
19 June 1944 : S.S. "Pestel" (1850 tons)

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