During World War II, German U-boats were highly effective at disrupting Allied shipping, particularly targeting merchant vessels and convoys in the Atlantic. However, when it came to sinking major U.S. Navy warships—such as destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers—the results were more limited.
Here’s a breakdown of the U-boat success rate against American naval warships that were not sunk by air attacks:
1. Destroyers Sunk by U-boats
U-boats managed to sink multiple U.S. Navy destroyers, particularly early in the war during Operation Drumbeat (Paukenschlag) in 1942. Some notable examples include:
USS Reuben James (DD-245) – Sunk on October 31, 1941, before the U.S. officially entered the war. This was the first U.S. Navy warship lost due to German action.
USS Jacob Jones (DD-130) – Sunk by U-578 on February 28, 1942, off the U.S. East Coast.
USS Pillsbury (DD-227) – Sunk by U-502 in March 1942 near the Dutch East Indies.
USS Buck (DD-420) – Torpedoed by U-616 on October 9, 1943, in the Mediterranean.
🔹 Overall Success:
German U-boats were relatively successful at sinking U.S. destroyers, particularly during the early years of the war when the U.S. lacked effective anti-submarine warfare (ASW) tactics.
2. Battleships Sunk by U-boats
The U.S. did not lose any battleships to German U-boats.
The U.S. battleships that were sunk during the war—such as the USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor—were lost to Japanese air attacks, not U-boats.
U-boats rarely encountered American battleships because these capital ships were usually escorted by strong anti-submarine defenses.
🔹 Overall Success:
No U.S. battleships were lost to U-boats.
3. Aircraft Carriers Sunk by U-boats
U-boats did manage to sink a few American aircraft carriers, but not many. Some key examples include:
USS Wasp (CV-7) – Sunk by Japanese submarine I-19 on September 15, 1942, not by a German U-boat.
USS Yorktown (CV-5) – Sunk at Midway by Japanese submarine I-168, not by a German U-boat.
USS Block Island (CVE-21) – Sunk by U-549 on May 29, 1944, in the Atlantic. This was the only U.S. aircraft carrier sunk by a German U-boat.
🔹 Overall Success:
Only one U.S. aircraft carrier (USS Block Island) was lost to a German U-boat, making U-boat success against carriers very limited.
Why Didn’t U-boats Sink More U.S. Warships?
U.S. Naval Warships Were Better Defended
Unlike merchant ships, destroyers, battleships, and carriers had strong escort protection, radar, sonar, and anti-submarine weapons.
U-boats were more vulnerable to depth charge attacks and had difficulty penetrating these defenses.
U-boats Focused on Merchant Shipping
Germany's Wolfpack tactics prioritized sinking supply ships over directly engaging warships.
The goal was to disrupt the U.S. war effort rather than risk U-boats in direct combat against well-defended targets.
Allied Anti-Submarine Warfare Improved
By mid-1943, Allied advances in ASW tactics, sonar, and escort carriers greatly reduced U-boat effectiveness.
U-boats suffered heavy losses when attempting to attack Allied naval forces.