U-552
Scuttled
| Type | Submarine |
|---|---|
| Class | Type VIIC |
| War | Second World War |
| Main guns | 1 × 3.5″ gun |
Under Erich Topp. Sank the destroyer USS Reuben James on 31 October 1941, the first US warship lost in the war, five weeks before Pearl Harbor. Scuttled in May 1945.
Armament and specifications
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 x 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA gun
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 1 December 1939 |
| Launched | 14 September 1940 |
| Commissioned | 4 December 1940 |
| 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 |
| Speed | 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
14 September 1940
Sinking of Reuben James
Survived
31 October 1941
Erich Topp
Fate
Scuttled
Scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven