U-637

Type

VIIC

Ordered

20 Jan 1941

Laid down

17 Oct 1941

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 613)

Launched

7 Jul 1942

Commissioned

27 Aug 1942

Kptlt. Max Dieterich

Commanders

27 Aug 1942 - 22 Feb 1943	Kptlt. Max Bernd Dieterich
23 Feb 1943 - 20 Jul 1944	Kptlt. Günther Zedelius
21 Jul 1944 - 30 Sep 1944	Oblt. Fritz Fabricius
1 Oct 1944 - 26 Apr 1945	Kptlt. Wolfgang Riekeberg
Jan, 1945 - Jan, 1945	Oblt. Walther Ehrhardt
27 Apr 1945 - 8 May 1945	Oblt. Klaus Weber

Career

3 patrols

27 Aug 1942 - 31 May 1944  5. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1944 - 5 Jul 1944  1. Flottille (front boat)
6 Jul 1944 - 1 Jan 1945  8. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan 1945 - 8 May 1945  5. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

1 warship sunk for a total of 56 tons

Fate

Surrendered at Stavanger, Norway on May 8, 1945. Transferred to Loch Ryan, Scotland for Operation Deadlight.

Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info)
Foundered in tow and sank on 21 December 1945 at 55.35N x 07.46W.

See the 1 ships hit by U-637 - View the 3 war patrols

Attacks on this boat

26 Apr 1945
Norwegian MTB's (motor torpedo boats) 711 and 723 claim sunk a German U-boat near Utsira, Norway. This attack was in fact aganst the U-637 which survived. The commander of the U-boat shot him self fatally after being seriously wounded in the face. The Engineering officer brought the boat to shore. Several men were lost in this action. [Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Riekeberg] (Sources: Klart til kamp, Helge Storm Bjercke (1954). Axel Niestlé.)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in April 1945 but it was of course installed prior to that date. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.