Why do they call a submarine a U-boat?
Why do they call a submarine a U-boat? 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”.