U-953

Type

VIIC

Ordered

10 Apr 1941

Laid down

10 Feb 1942

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 153)

Launched

28 Oct 1942

Commissioned

17 Dec 1942

Oblt. Karl-Heinz Marbach (Knights Cross)

Commanders

17 Dec 1942	-	Aug, 1944	Oblt. Karl-Heinz Marbach (Knights Cross)
Aug, 1944	-	Apr, 1945	Oblt. Herbert A. Werner
Apr, 1945	-	8 May 1945	Oblt. Erich Steinbrink

Career
10 patrols

17 Dec 1942	-	31 May 1943	5. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1943	-	14 Oct 1944	3. Flottille (front boat)
15 Oct 1944	-	8 May 1945	33. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

1 ship sunk for a total of 1,927 GRT

Fate

Transferred on 29 May, 1945 from Trondheim, Norway to England.

Broken up after British Navy trials, in 1950.

See the 1 ships hit by U-953 - View the 10 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-953 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Trutz (1 Jun 1943 - 16 Jun 1943)
   Trutz 2 (16 Jun 1943 - 29 Jun 1943)
   Geier 2 (30 Jun 1943 - 15 Jul 1943)
   Schill (25 Oct 1943 - 16 Nov 1943)
   Borkum (1 Jan 1944 - 3 Jan 1944)
   Borkum 3 (3 Jan 1944 - 13 Jan 1944)
   Dragoner (22 May 1944 - 28 May 1944)

Attacks on this boat

9 Jul 1943
The boat was attacked by an aircraft on 9 July killing one and wounding two of its crew. [Matrose I Egon Döring]

11 Jan 1944
The boat fired a T-5 homing torpedo at a corvette but missed and was in turn hunted down for 13 hours by escorts equipped with depth charges and hedgehogs. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 491)

4 Feb 1944
The boat was vectored in to attack convoy ON 222 but while attempting to do so an unknown Allied aircraft attacked the boat. Date may be approximate. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 497)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in March 1944. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.