German Type IXA submarine The German Type IXA submarine was a sub - class of the German Type IX submarine built by the German Navy ( " Kriegsmarine " ) between 1937 and 1938 . These U - boat s were designed between 1935 and 1936 and were intended to be fairly large ocean - going submarines . The inspiration for the Type IXA submarine came from the German Type IA submarine , which had a similar diving depth and identical submerged horsepower . Two of the eight Type IXA submarines ( and ) would become the 6th and 10th most successful U - boats that saw service in World War II , sinking 53 and 35 ships respectively . All of the Type IXA submarines were sunk fairly early in the war except for " U - 37 " and " U - 38 " , which were scuttled in May 1945 to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Allies . Construction . All Type IXA submarines were ordered by the German " Kriegsmarine " between 29 July 1936 and 21 November 1936 as part of Plan Z and the overall German plan of re - armament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles . The design of the IXA submarines was derived from the German Type IA submarine . All contracts for the construction of the submarines were awarded to AG Weser , Bremen . The first U - boat to be laid down in the Bremen ship yards was " U - 37 " , whose keel was laid down on 15 March 1937 . The last U - boat to be laid down was , whose construction began on 15 September 1937 . By November 1939 , all eight submarines had been fully constructed and commissioned into the " Kriegsmarine " . Design . General characteristics . The Type IXA submarines were the first German submarines to have a double hull . This allowed for a greater chance of survival in the event of an attack and gave them better seaworthiness on the surface . The Type IXA submarines had a test depth of . The class had two MAN M9V40 / 46 supercharged 9 - cylinder diesel engines that produced as well as two SSW GU345 / 34 double - acting electric motors that produced and allowed them to travel at while surfaced and submerged . The Type IXA submarines had a range of at while on the surface and at while submerged . The fuel capacity was 154 tons . The maximum crew capacity was 56 , though the number on board was usually around 45 – 48 . Armament . The Type IXA submarines had six torpedo tubes ( four in the bow and two in the stern ) and carried a total of twenty - two torpedoes . The torpedo warhead was between and . These torpedoes could travel up to and as fast as 44 knots ( 81 km / h ) . Twelve torpedoes were stowed internally and ten were in the topside deck containers . In order to get the torpedoes into the forward or bow torpedo room , the torpedoes were lifted over the U - boat by a crane . The crew would then pull the torpedo inside the vessel using a cradle that was set at an angle to allow the torpedo to slide into position inside the torpedo room . To reload a torpedo tube with a torpedo from one of the above - deck canisters , the submarine would have to surface in calm water . Then the torpedo would be pulled out of the compartment with winches and lowered into the forward or bow torpedo room . This process could take several hours for just one torpedo , during which the U - boat was unable to dive , making it an easy target for Allied aircraft . The Type IXA submarines were equipped with a " Utof " 10 . 5 cm SK C / 32 deck gun forward of the conning tower . Shell storage was 110 rounds . The gun fired a HE round at a muzzle velocity of out to a maximum range of . Against aircraft the weapon ' s ceiling was . Training and elevation was manual . The rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute . They were also armed with 2 cm FlaK 30 and anti - aircraft guns . The 2 cm FlaK 30 guns had a range of firing at up to 280 rounds per minute ; firing against aircraft the ceiling was reduced to 3 , 700 m . The muzzle velocity was and each round weighed . The " 3 . 7 cm SK C / 30U " had a range of and a firing rate of 30 rounds per minute . Its muzzle velocity was and the shell ' s total weight was . List of Type IXA U - boats . The " Type IXA " class had eight U - boats , all of which were built by AG Weser of Bremen . After being commissioned and deployed , the Type IXA submarines were stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven . U - 37 . " U - 37 " was laid down by AG Weser of Bremen on 15 March 1937 . Following just over a year of construction , she was launched from the Bremen shipyards on 14 May 1938 and commissioned into the " Kriegsmarine " on 4 August 1938 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schuch as a member of the " 6th U - boat Flotilla " . " U - 37 " was by far the most successful Type IXA U - boat and the sixth most successful U - boat in World War II , sinking 53 merchant ships for a total of 200 , 124 gross register tons ( GRT ) , along with two warships during eleven war patrols from August 1939 to March 1941 . In spite of these victories , " U - 37 " was later withdrawn from combat service and was used for training submarine crews until the end of the war . On 8 May 1945 , the crew of " U - 37 " scuttled the U - boat in Sonderburg Bay off Flensburg to keep her from falling into the hands of the Allies . U - 38 . The keel for " U - 38 " was laid down on 15 April 1937 and after over a year and a half of construction she was commissioned on 24 October 1938 with " Kapitänleutnant " Heinrich Liebe in command . Upon commissioning , " U - 38 " was assigned to the 6th U - boat Flotilla . Like " U - 37 " , " U - 38 " conducted eleven patrols . During these patrols she managed to sink or damage over 30 enemy vessels . Like " U - 37 " , " U - 38 " ranks as one of the most successful U - boats of World War II , holding 10th place . With World War II drawing to a disastrous close for Germany , " U - 38 " was scuttled by her own crew west of Wesermünde on 5 May 1945 . U - 39 . The keel for " U - 39 " was laid down on 2 June 1937 . She was commissioned over a year later on 10 December 1938 with " Kapitänleutnant " Gerhard Glattes in command as a member of the 6th U - boat Flotilla . On 14 September 1939 , just days after she began her first war time patrol , " U - 39 " was hunted down by the British destroyers , , and and disabled with depth charges after she attempted to sink the British aircraft carrier HMS " Ark Royal " . All of her crew members survived and were captured by the British . " U - 39 " was the first German U - boat to be sunk in World War II . U - 40 . " U - 40 " was ordered for construction on 29 July 1936 and her keel was laid down on 1 July 1937 . She was launched from Bremen on 9 November 1938 and commissioned on 11 February 1939 with " Kapitänleutnant " Werner von Schmidt in command . " U - 40 " conducted only two war patrols during her career , both while part of the 6th U - boat Flotilla . During her short war - time service , " U - 40 " sank no ships . She sank on 13 October 1939 after hitting mines in the English Channel while attempting a short cut to a rendezvous with other U boats . U - 41 . " U - 41 " was laid down on 27 November 1937 and was launched on 28 January 1939 . She was commissioned into the " Kriegsmarine " on 22 April 1939 under the command of " Korvettenkapitän " Gustav - Adolf Mugler . " U - 41 " only undertook three war patrols , two as part of the 6th U - boat Flotilla and one as a member of the 2nd U - boat Flotilla . During her brief career she sank five enemy vessels for a total of , captured two more ships for a total of , and damaged one ship of . On 5 February 1940 , " U - 41 " was sunk after a depth charge attack by the British destroyer off the coast of Ireland . All 49 crew members were lost with the ship . U - 42 . " U - 42 " was ordered by the " Kriegsmarine " on 21 November 1936 . Her keel was laid down on 21 December 1937 by AG Weser of Bremen as " Werk 947 " . She was launched on 16 February 1939 and commissioned on 15 July 1939 with " Kapitänleutnant " Rolf Dau in command of the vessel . " U - 42 " had a very short career , being sunk while still on her first war patrol . During her service with the German " Kriegsmarine " , " U - 42 " conducted only one training patrol and one war patrol , during which she damaged one enemy vessel of . Both of " U - 42 " s patrols were as a member of the 6th U - boat Flotilla . On 13 October 1939 , " U - 42 " was sunk southwest of Ireland by the British warships and . Out of a crew of 46 , twenty survived and 26 went down with the submarine . U - 43 . The keel for " U - 43 " was laid down on 15 August 1938 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen ; she was launched on 23 May 1939 and commissioned on 26 August 1939 under the command of " Kapitänleutnant " Wilhelm Ambrosius . Between November 1939 and July 1943 the U - boat conducted 14 combat patrols as a member of the " 6 . Unterseebootsflottile " and later the " 2 . Unterseebootsflottile " , sinking 21 merchant ships for a total of , damaging one ship of and another of , enough for it to be declared a total loss . " U - 43 " was sunk on 30 July 1943 southwest of the Azores by a torpedo dropped by a United States Navy aircraft from the escort carrier ; all 55 hands were lost . U - 44 . " U - 44 " was ordered by the German " Kriegsmarine " on 21 November 1936 and was laid down on 15 September 1938 by AG Weser , Bremen as " Werk 949 " . She was launched on 5 August 1939 and commissioned on 4 November under the command of " Korvettenkapitän " Ludwig Mathes . During her service in the German " Kriegsmarine " , " U - 44 " conducted only two war patrols ( one as part of the 6th U - boat Flotilla and another as a member of the 2nd U - boat Flotilla ) and sank a total of eight enemy vessels for a loss of . On 13 March 1940 , " U - 44 " struck a mine that was located in Minefield Number 7 off the north coast of the Netherlands . All 47 of " U - 44 " s crew members went down with the submarine .