USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

[SOURCES]
What is a U-boat?

(A) A German Battle Ship

(B) An American Passenger Ship

(C) ** A German Submarine

(D) A French Aircraft

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Why were German submarines in WWII called ‘U-boats’? U-boat is an abbreviation of the German word ‘’Unterseeboot” (meaning ‘’submarine” or ‘’under the sea boat”). The German navy launched large-scale submarine offensives in both World Wars. The letter ‘’U” inU-boats is from the German ‘’unter”, meaning ‘’under”.

Concept note-2: -A U-boat is a type of submarine used by Germany during World War I and II. It was designed for coastal defense, but it could also be used to attack merchant ships in the open ocean. A submarine, on the other hand, is an underwater vessel that can operate independently or as part of a larger fleet.

Concept note-3: -Germany retaliated by using its submarines to destroy neutral ships that were supplying the Allies. The formidable U-boats (unterseeboots) prowled the Atlantic armed with torpedoes. They were Germany’s only weapon of advantage as Britain effectively blocked German ports to supplies.

Concept note-4: -Germany has commissioned over 1, 500 U-boats (German: Unterseeboot) into its various navies from 1906 to the present day. The submarines have usually been designated with a U followed by a number, although World War I coastal submarines and coastal minelaying submarines used the UB and UC prefixes, respectively.