German submarine U-99 (1940)

U-52, a typical Type VIIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-99
Ordered	15 December 1937
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number	593
Laid down	31 March 1939
Launched	12 March 1940
Commissioned	18 April 1940
Fate	Sunk on 17 March 1941, by HMS Walker southeast of Iceland. Three dead and 40 survivors[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIB submarine
Displacement	753 tonnes (741 long tons) surfaced 857 t (843 long tons) submerged
Length	66.50 m (218 ft 2 in) o/a 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range	9,400 nmi (17,400 km; 10,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	220 m (720 ft) Crush depth: 230–250 m (750–820 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	Gruppenhorchgerät
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	7th U-boat Flotilla 18 April 1940 – 17 March 1941
Identification codes:	M 17 046
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Otto Kretschmer 18 April 1940 – 17 March 1941
Operations:	8 patrols: 1st patrol: 18–25 June 1940 2nd patrol: 27 June – 21 July 1940 3rd patrol: 25 July – 5 August 1940 4th patrol: 4 – 25 September 1940 5th patrol: 13 – 22 October 1940 6th patrol: 30 October – 8 November 1940 7th patrol: 27 November – 12 December 1940 8th patrol: 22 February – 17 March 1941
Victories:	35 merchant ships sunk (198,218 GRT) 3 auxiliary warships sunk (46,440 GRT) 5 merchant ships damaged (37,965 GRT) 1 merchant ship taken as prize (2,136 GRT)

German submarine U-99 was a Type VIIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 31 March 1939 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel as yard number 593. She was launched on 12 March 1940 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer and was assigned to the 7th U-boat Flotilla based in Kiel and later in St Nazaire.

U-99 was one of the most successful German U-boats in the war, sinking 38 ships for a total tonnage of 244,658 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping in eight patrols. She damaged five more ships and took one vessel as a prize. U-99 was sunk on 17 March 1941 by British destroyer HMS Walker while attacking convoy HX 112.