Many years ago I bought this novelty teapot in a charity shop. It has been displayed ever since on a shelf in my house. I have often wondered about U7, did it exist?

Well, it certainly did Stanley and here is the story. Every bit of its story is off the internet.

German submarine U-7 

A type 11B U-Boat of the Nazi Kreigsmarine based out of Keil during World War II. It was one of the smaller versions, and was first launched on 29 June 1935 with a crew of 29.

Its first commander was Kurt Freiwald. 

U-7 would have 16 commanders over the course of its service, the last being Günther Loeschcke.

During the war, U-7 was responsible for sinking two vessels.

On 18 February 1944, west of Pillau, U-7 sank in what is believed to have been a malfunction during a diving manoeuvre.

There were no survivors.

The First Commander of U-7 was Kurt Freiwald

From 18^th July 1935 – to 3^rd October 1937

U-7 carried out 6 Wartime patrols between 24^th August 1939 and 7^th May 1940. The first two patrols were Commanded by Werner Heidel, (no known photo) who claimed the only two vessels sunk by U-7.

At 14.30 hours on 22 Sep 1939, the unescorted Akenside (Master John Thomas Nelson) was stopped by U-7 with machine-gun fire 15 miles west by north of Marsten Island. The crew immediately abandoned the ship in lifeboats after a distress signal was sent. The U-boat then sank the vessel with a torpedo. The master and 25 crew members were picked up by the Norwegian torpedo boat Storm and the Marsten Pilot Boat and landed at Bergen.

At 07.45 hours on 29 Sep 1939, the neutral Takstaas (Master Kristian M. Eltvedt) was stopped by warning shots from the 20mm gun by U-7 about 10 miles off Marsteinen Lighthouse, outside Bergen, Norway. After examining the papers, Heidel gave the crew 20 minutes to abandon the ship in the two lifeboats because the ship was en route to England. At 08.55 hours, the U-boat fired a torpedo that hit on the starboard side amidships and caused a list to starboard but she remained afloat on her load of lumber. The Germans circled the ship and fired with the 20mm gun at the water line until a Norwegian aircraft appeared and forced them to dive. The lifeboats were later taken in tow to Sund in Korsfjord by the Norwegian torpedo boat Storm and continued to Bergen on their own. The ship was after a few hours taken in tow by a Norwegian tug but broke in two and while the foreship sank, the afterpart was towed in and most of her cargo was salvaged.

The four remaining War patrols were carried out by Karl Schrott, with no known successes and (no known photo of Schrott).

Schrott went on to Command U-551.

Schrott was commanding U-551 when it Sank on 23 March 1941 in the North Atlantic south of Iceland, in position 62.37N, 16.47W, by depth charges from the British (Anti Submarine) trawler HMS Visenda. 45 dead (all hands lost).

It seems U-7 was withdrawn from war patrols and then based at Keil. It was presumably used in training.

Records show that U-7 had 14 other commanders in all, but none of them ever went on war patrol in U-7. Heidel’s patrol on the 7th of May 1940 was to be the last operational mission.

Heidel himself did not last long as he went on to command U-55 which was sunk in the English Channel on the 30th of January 1940.

The last Commander of U-7 was Gunther Loeschcke. Loeschecke was commanding U-7 on the day when it sank on 18th February 1944.