5 Top-scoring U-boats of World War I Boat Type Commissioned Total tonnage Ships sunk Patrols Fate Captains SM U-35 Type U 31 3 November 1914 539,741 224 17 Surrendered, 26 November 1918 Waldemar Kophamel Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière Ernst von Voigt Heino von Heimburg SM U-39 Type U 31 13 January 1915 404,478 154 19 Surrendered, 22 March 1919 Hans Kratzsch Walter Forstmann Heinrich Metzger SM U-38 Type U 31 15 December 1914 299,985 137 17 Surrendered, 23 February 1919 Max Valentiner Wilhelm Canaris Hans Heinrich Wurmbach Clemens Wickel SM U-34 Type U 31 5 October 1914 262,886 121 17 Missing, 9 November 1918 Claus Rücker Wilhelm Canaris Johannes Klasing SM U-33 Type U 31 27 September 1914 229,598 84 16 Surrendered, 16 January 1919 Konrad Gansser Gustav Sieß Hellmuth von Doemming