The last submarine U-995 type VIIC

The contract for the construction of submarine U-995 was signed with the Hamburg shipbuilding yard Blohm & Voss on 14 October 1941. The keel was laid on 25 November of the following year, at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, marking the beginning of construction of Type VIIC/41 submarines at this shipyard.

U-995 was launched on 22 July 1943. By that time, her crew, commanded by Lieutenant Walter Kontopp, had already arrived for acceptance trials. The men were quartered in barracks near the yard and began both theoretical instruction and hands-on familiarization with the boat. Alongside inexperienced sailors, the crew included submariners hardened by previous Atlantic patrols. On 16 September 1943, the new submarine was officially commissioned and assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla, based at Kiel. Until 20 February 1944, U-995 remained in the Bay of Danzig, where her crew mastered the vessel and completed an intensive combat training program.

During the Second World War, the Bay of Danzig was considered a relatively safe area. The Soviet Baltic Fleet was firmly bottled up in the Gulf of Finland, and the primary threat came from Allied aircraft conducting port strikes and laying naval mines. The bay hosted several U-boat training flotillas, while its waters were used for testing newly built and overhauled submarines, their weapons, and crew readiness prior to operational deployment.

On 21 February 1944, after completing her training cycle, U-995 returned to Kiel for repairs, ammunition loading, and resupply. On 25 April, she put to sea and sailed for Flekkefjord, Norway, where she joined the “Mitte” U-boat group tasked with countering a potential Allied landing in Jutland. Submarines assigned to this group maintained a six-hour readiness status in ports across southern Norway.

On 16 May, U-995 arrived in Bergen, departing two days later on her first combat patrol. Within days, the submarine experienced her baptism of fire. On 21 May, while surfaced, she was twice attacked by British aircraft, which dropped ten depth charges. Thanks to skillful maneuvering and effective anti-aircraft fire, the boat avoided destruction, though she sustained damage and five crew members were wounded. On 23 May, U-995 reached Trondheim for repairs.

At that time, Trondheim served as the base of the 13th U-boat Flotilla, to which U-995 was subsequently assigned. To protect submarines from air raids, the massive reinforced-concrete bunker Dora I had been constructed. Measuring 153 meters in length, 111 meters in width, with a roof thickness of 3.5 meters, it could shelter up to seven submarines and also functioned as a dry dock, fully equipped for repairs.

After completing repairs, U-995 sailed again on 30 June and joined the “Trutz” group, operating off the Norwegian coast to intercept Allied convoys bound for Murmansk.

Between 1941 and 1945, U-995 conducted nine combat patrols, during which she sank no more than ten Allied vessels.

Technical characteristics of submarine U-995 (Type VIIC/41):

• Surface displacement: 769 tons
• Submerged displacement: 871 tons
• Length: 67.1 m
• Beam: 6.2 m
• Draft: 4.7 m
• Diving depth: up to 250 m
• Range: 10,000 nautical miles at 7 knots surfaced on diesel power
• Propulsion: diesel-electric, total output 3,200 hp
• Speed: 17 knots surfaced, 7.6 knots submerged
• Crew: 52 men

Armament:

• One 20-mm C/35 anti-aircraft gun (220 rounds)
• Five 533-mm torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) with 14 torpedoes or up to 26 mines
• One 37-mm Flak M42U AA mount (after the 1944 modernization)

It should be noted that the designed range, endurance, and ammunition capacity of Type VIIC submarines were often significantly exceeded in practice. This was achieved through careful management of propulsion systems and the ingenuity of their crews.

On 23 March, U-995 arrived in Narvik, and on 28 March returned to Trondheim, where she was scheduled to receive a snorkel. This voyage proved to be her last—modernization and repairs dragged on until the end of the war.

Most of U-995’s combat service was spent on one of the most demanding fronts—the Arctic—where nature itself was the primary enemy. Freezing air and water temperatures, frequent storms and fog, and months-long polar days and nights imposed severe hardships. Watch duty on an ice-covered bridge, battered by waves and pierced by icy winds, became a form of torture. Conditions inside the boat were scarcely better, with no way to dry clothing soaked during surface operations. Icing posed a grave danger: frozen superstructures and ballast-tank vents could prevent diving altogether, while ice-covered deck guns rendered air defense impossible. To clear accumulated ice, submarines were often forced to submerge.

During the polar day, when the sun remained above the horizon for months, battery charging and air replenishment became extremely hazardous. Allied convoys were routinely escorted by aircraft carriers, and coastal areas near the Kola Peninsula lay within reach of shore-based aviation. Submarines lacking snorkels—such as U-995—were especially vulnerable.

In 1947, several submarines stationed in Norwegian ports, including U-995, were transferred to Norway. After refurbishment, the Norwegian naval ensign was raised aboard on 6 December 1952, and the submarine entered service with the Royal Norwegian Navy under the name Kaura.

In 1954, Kaura underwent another refit. Her artillery armament was removed, the conning tower fairing reshaped for improved underwater performance, modern sonar equipment installed, and the battery ventilation system modified. Thereafter, the submarine served as a training vessel, participated in numerous NATO exercises, and visited the United Kingdom. On 15 December 1962, Kaura was decommissioned due to her technical condition and the impracticality of further repairs.

In 1965, following lengthy negotiations, the veteran submarine was sold back to the German Navy for a symbolic sum to be preserved as a museum ship. On 8 October 1965, U-995 underwent inspection by Germanischer Lloyd in Bergen and received certification for towing. On 14 October, the last surviving Type VIIC submarine was towed to Kiel.

The installation of the museum submarine U-995 on the coast

Museum submarine U-995

The U-995 museum ship from another angle

Inside a Type VIIC submarine

In October 1967, it was decided to install the submarine on the beach at Laboe, at the foot of the Marine-Ehrenmal naval memorial. This required extensive dredging to create a channel 500 meters long, 42 meters wide, and 3 meters deep. Installation of the museum submarine was completed on 13 March 1972.

During the first five days after opening, the museum attracted around 10,000 visitors. Among the first was Karl Dönitz himself. To date, more than 10 million people have visited the submarine museum.