German submarine U-255

U-255 at Narvik flying four victory pennants and the flag of the merchant ship SS Paulus Potter after the attack on the ships of Convoy PQ 17
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-255
Ordered	23 September 1939[1]
Builder	Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack[1]
Yard number	20[1]
Laid down	21 December 1940[1]
Launched	8 October 1941[1]
Commissioned	29 November 1941[1]
Decommissioned	1 September 1944[1]
Recommissioned	2 March 1945[1]
Fate	Surrendered on 17 May 1945[1] Scuttled on 13 December 1945 during Operation Deadlight[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
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	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
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 2 cm FlaK 30
Service record[1][2]
Part of:	8th U-boat Flotilla 29 November 1941 – 30 June 1942 11th U-boat Flotilla 1 July 1942 – 31 May 1943 13th U-boat Flotilla 1 June – 30 November 1943 7th U-boat Flotilla 1 December 1943 – 1 September 1944 13th U-boat Flotilla 1 March – 8 May 1945
Identification codes:	M 47 763
Commanders:	Kptlt. Reinhart Reche 29 November 1941 – 6 June 1943 Oblt.z.S. Erich Harms 7 June 1943 – August 1944 Oblt.z.S. Helmuth Heinrich 2 March – 17 May 1945
Operations:	15 patrols: 1st patrol: a. 23 June – 15 July 1942 b. 18 – 20 July 1942 2nd patrol: 4 August – 9 September 1942 3rd patrol: a. 13 – 25 September 1942 b. 29 September – 3 October 1942 c. 7 – 18 January 1943 4th patrol: 23 January – 9 February 1943 5th patrol: 22 February – 15 March 1943 6th patrol: a. 29 March – 29 April 1943 b. 9 – 16 July 1943 7th patrol: a. 19 July – 19 September 1943 b. 5 – 13 October 1943 8th patrol: 26 February – 11 April 1944 9th patrol: 6 – 8 May 1944 10th patrol: 6 – 15 June 1944 11th patrol: 22 – 24 April 1945 12th patrol: 28 – 30 April 1945 13th patrol: 2 – 3 May 1945 14th patrol: 5 – 7 May 1945 15th patrol: 8 – 19 May 1945
Victories:	10 merchant ships sunk (47,640 GRT) 1 warship sunk (1,200 tons) 1 merchant ship total loss (7,191 GRT)

German submarine U-255 was a Type VIIC U-boat that served in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 December 1940 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 8 October 1941 and commissioned on 29 November 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Reinhart Reche.^[1]

One of the most successful U-boats to operate in Arctic waters,^[3] she operated from Norway during 1942–1943, and then from France in 1944–1945, sailing on 15 combat patrols, sinking ten merchant ships totalling 47,640 GRT and damaging another of 7,191 GRT enough for it to be written off as a total loss.^[4] She also sank the 1,200-tons Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Leopold.^[4] At the end of the war U-255 surrendered to the British, and was sunk during Operation Deadlight on 13 December 1945.^[1]