German submarine U-69 was the first Type VIIC U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. This meant that compared to previous U-boats, she could travel further afield for longer, with a payload of fourteen torpedoes, an deck gun for smaller vessels and a flak gun for use against aircraft. U-69 was very successful, sinking over of Allied shipping in a career lasting two years, making her one of the longest surviving, continuously serving, U-boats. Her most notable attack was on the civilian ferry , which sank off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1942, killing 137 men, women and children. She was rammed and sunk by on 17 February 1943. Design and construction German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-69 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . While on the surface the submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of ; while two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of were use when the submarine was submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-69 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty sailors. She was built at the Germaniawerft in Kiel during 1940, and was ready for service in November. After her warm up in the Baltic Sea (designed to give her an opportunity to train and repair minor faults), she was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean in February 1941. Service history First patrol U-69 departed Kiel for her first patrol on 10 February 1941. Her route took her across the North Sea, through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands and into the Atlantic Ocean. She encountered the southwest of the Faroe Islands on 17 February and sank her. No survivors were