Editing German submarine U-553 (section)

==Service history==
Her keel was [[Keel laying|laid down]] 21 November 1939, by [[Blohm & Voss]] in [[Hamburg]] as yard number 529. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 7 November 1940 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 23 December, with ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' [[Karl Thurmann]] in command. He was captain for her entire career.

Her service began with training under the [[7th U-boat Flotilla]] and moved on to operations on 1 April 1941. She then transferred to the [[3rd U-boat Flotilla|3rd flotilla]] on 1 December 1942. She was a member of ten [[wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]s. She moved from [[Kiel]] in Germany to [[Bergen]] in Norway in April 1941.

===First patrol===
The boat departed Bergen on 19 April 1941 and headed for the Atlantic via the [[GIUK gap|gap]] between the [[Faeroe Islands|Faeroe]] and [[Shetland Islands]]. She arrived at her new base of [[St. Nazaire]] in occupied France on 2 May 1941 after suffering serious engine trouble.

===Second patrol===
Departing St. Nazaire on 7 June, she achieved success north of the [[Azores]], by sinking the ''Susan Maersk'' (she went down in 90 seconds)<ref name=Susanmaersk>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=2 |title=Ship Details: Susan Maersk |publisher=Ubootwaffe |access-date=29 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510234030/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553%3Bnr%3D2 |archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref> and the ''Ranella'' (she broke in two)<ref name=Ranella>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=1 |title=Ship Details: Ranella |publisher=Ubootwaffe |access-date=29 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233916/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553%3Bnr%3D1 |archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref> both on 12 June 1941.

===Third, fourth and fifth patrols===
Her next three sorties met with mixed fortune; her third patrol saw no success, despite ranging far and wide over the north Atlantic.

''U-553''{{'}}s next foray saw her attack merchantmen such as the ''Silvercedar'', (sunk on 15 October 1941)<ref name=Silvercedar>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=4
 |title       = Ship Details: Silvercedar
 |publisher   = Ubootwaffe
 |access-date  = 29 October 2009
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120510234147/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553%3Bnr%3D4
 |archive-date = 10 May 2012}}</ref> and {{HMS|Gladiolus|K34|6}} (sunk on 17 October).<ref name=Gladiolus>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=5 |title=Ship Details: Gladiolus |publisher=Ubootwaffe |access-date=29 October 2009 |archive-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233750/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=5 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The boat's fifth patrol took her toward the eastern Canadian/US coast where she succeeded in damaging the ''Diala'' on 15 January 1942<ref name=Diala>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=6|title=Ship Details: Diala|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233726/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=6|url-status=dead}}</ref> and sinking the ''Innerøy'' on 22 January.<ref name=U553>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553|title=U-553|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225163843/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553|archive-date=25 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Sixth and seventh patrols===
The boat's sixth patrol took her from St. Nazaire as far north as the Faeroe Islands. It was unsuccessful.

Outing number seven saw the submarine penetrate the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] where she sank two ships; the ''Leto''<ref name=Leto>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=7 |title=Ship Details: Leto |publisher=Ubootwaffe |access-date=29 October 2009 |archive-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233824/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the ''Nicoya''.<ref name=Nicoya>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=8|title=Ship Details: Nicoya|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233759/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=8|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Mattawin''<ref name=Mattawin>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=9|title=Ship Details: Mattawin|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233716/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=9|url-status=dead}}</ref> was sent to the bottom of the Atlantic.

===Eighth patrol===
The boat's eighth patrol began with her departure from St. Nazaire on 19 July and to which she returned on 17 September after 61 days at sea, her longest. In that time, she damaged the ''Belgian Soldier'' off [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]<ref name=Belgiansoldier>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=10|title=Ship Details: Belgian Soldier|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233755/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=10|url-status=dead}}</ref> and attacked three other ships near Cuba.<ref name=Blankaholm>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=13|title=Ship Details: Blankaholm|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233745/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553%3Bnr%3D13|archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref><ref name=Empirebede>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=12|title=Ship Details: Empire Bede|publisher=Ubootwaffe|access-date=29 October 2009|archive-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233721/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=12|url-status=dead}}</ref> one of which, the ''Empire Bede'', was sunk by gunfire from {{HMS|Pimpernel|K71|6}}.<ref name=Pimpernel>{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2065.html
 |title=Empire Bede
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=29 October 2009
}} (classed as sunk by ''U-553'')</ref>

===Ninth patrol===
Her last full patrol commenced on 23 November 1942; she sank the ''Charles L D'' on 9 December 1942. She returned to France, but this time [[La Pallice]] on 18 December.<ref name=Charlesld>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=14 |title=Ship Details: Charles L D |publisher=Ubootwaffe |access-date=29 October 2009 |archive-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510233853/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=553;nr=14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Loss===
Her tenth and final sortie began with her departure from La Pallice on 16 January 1943. On the 20th, she sent a radio message: "''Sehrohr unklar''" (periscope unready for action), and was never heard from again. She had suffered no casualties to her crew until lost with all hands. She most probably sank because of technical problems and was officially declared missing on 28 January 1943.<ref>{{cite book|author=Paul Kemp | title=Die deutschen und österreichischen U-Boot-Verluste in beiden Weltkriegen| language=de| year=1998 | publisher=Urbes | ISBN=978-3-924896-43-0 | page=103}}</ref>

===Wolfpacks===
''U-553'' took part in ten [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]s, namely:
* [[Wolfpack West|West]] (13 – 20 June 1941) 
* Grönland (10 – 23 August 1941) 
* Kurfürst (23 August – 2 September 1941) 
* [[Wolfpack Seewolf|Seewolf]] (2 – 13 September 1941) 
* [[Wolfpack Zieten|Zieten]] (6 – 22 January 1942) 
* Westwall (2 – 12 March 1942) 
* York (12 – 26 March 1942) 
* Pirat (29 July – 3 August 1942) 
* Draufgänger (29 November – 11 December 1942) 
* Landsknecht (19 – 20 January 1943)