U-69

13.3

Submarine | Germany | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

stock

top

Battle Levels

12345678910

VI

4,500,000

U-69 — German Tier VI submarine.

The Type VII submarines became the most popular ships of their class in history—all in all, 703 of them were built. U-69, the lead boat of the VIIC series, conducted 10 combat patrols, participated in 7 Wolfpack operations, and sank 19 Allied ships. On February 17, 1943, the submarine was sunk by destroyer HMS Fame during the hunt for the ONS-165 convoy.

Modules

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
U-69 (A)	10,200	6	19		1		5			0	400,000
U-69 (B)	11,500	6	19		1		5			12,000	1,050,000

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
G7e T1 mod. 0	1	58	15	6,800	73	11.5		0	350,000
G7e T1	1.2	50	15	7,533	73	11.5		8,000	700,000

	Rate of Fire (m/s)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 3,200 hp	27		0	350,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2			Damage Control System Modification 3
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Performance:

U-69 is the tech tree Tier VI U-boat for the German submarine branch. As an introductory submarine, she is equipped with only homing torpedoes and has access to Reserve Battery Unit .

Hull:

U-69’s survivability is low, with an HP pool of 11,500. Her armor is nonexistent, with her entire hull covered in 16mm. Players should be careful not to be spotted on the surface for extended periods of time, as she will suffer heavy damage.

U-69’s maneuverability and concealment are very good at helping her survive in battle. Her turning radius and ruddershift are good, at 420m and 4.14 seconds respectively, which aids in dodging depth charges. Her concealment, at 5.65 km, is very good for her tier (outspotting almost every destroyer in her matchmaking spread).

She has an average 27 knot top speed on the surface, alongside a 13 knot underwater speed. While her surface speed is good, her underwater speed is slow, meaning careful positioning is vital in order to not be stuck in bad situations where her speed will not bail her out. Her speed is not enough to outrun destroyers and her hull can be vulnerable to depth charges if the player is not careful.

U-69’s Dive Capacity recharge and depletion rate are standard for her tier, at 1 unit/sec each. Her Dive Capacity reserve is high, at 230 units, allowing her to stay underwater for nearly 4 minutes. Her time underwater can be extended with the Reserve Battery Unit consumable which stops the depletion of Dive Capacity for 30 seconds per consumable. This gives U-69 an extra 90 units of dive capacity time.

Armament:

U-69’s sonar is a helpful tool for dealing damage. While the velocity is average at 500 m/s, the 11.5km of range, and fast reload time of 6.5s is enough to double ping reliably. The double ping lasts 50 seconds which allows ample time for homing torpedoes to arrive.

Homing Torpedoes

As a Tier VI submarine, U-69 only carries homing torpedoes as her torpedo armament. The homing torpedoes have best in tier range at 11.5km. They deal a respectable 7,533 damage, have a good speed of 76.65 knots, and have a 31% chance of flooding.

While she gets no access to conventional torpedoes, the fast speed and short arming distance allow the homing torpedoes to be used at close ranges against all targets, especially when shotgunning. Shotgunning is the act of closing distance to a target (around 2-3 km) and launching torpedoes at it, often heavily damaging or destroying low-health ships. Due to having 4 bow torpedo tubes, shotgun attacks will not deal as much damage in comparison to her successors (a maximum alpha strike of 30,132 damage), but the lower health and torpedo damage protection of Tier V and Tier VI ships allows her to comfortably deal high damage to targets. U-69 also gets a single rear torpedo tube, which can be used to finish crippled targets from behind. Her torpedoes all reload at the same time, at 50 seconds.

Consumables:

U-69 has a standard Damage Control Party , with three stock charges and a short 5 second duration time. Players should be careful not to quickly exhaust their limited charges or will rapidly lose HP to flood and fire damage.

Her Hydrophone is useful for tracking the location of surface ships while underwater. It lasts 30 seconds, has an 7km range, and has an 80 second reload time

U-69’s Submarine Surveillance is improved, with a much longer range of 9km. This aids her in detecting enemy submarines from further distances.

U-69, as a German submarine, gets access to the Reserve Battery Unit.

Gameplay:

U-69 is limited by only having homing torpedoes, but can still deal effective damage in any situation to any target. Players should use her speed and concealment to gain advantageous positions to utilize her homing torpedoes from range or close the distance and “shotgun” targets.

When pinging targets from range, it is important to utilize her ruddershift in order to dodge depth charges sent at the approximate locations of pings. Double pings will yield more hits, but exposes the submarine's approximate position from repeated pings. This playstyle can also yield less damage due to players using damage control on pings and dodging homing torpedoes by turning away. Once enemy ships are aware of a submarine's relative location, the submarine players' effectiveness shrinks, as the enemy ships will take evasive maneuvers to avoid taking massive torpedo damage. An alternative way is to fire torpedoes and not use pings, which keeps the submarines position relatively hidden and allows for surprise torpedo hits.

When closing distances to shotgun targets, players should primarily approach battleships and cruisers. Once at around 6km, players should dive to periscope depth and further close distance. Players should quickly launch all torpedoes before proximity detection (2km) and dive quickly to avoid detection. Players can also ping destroyers at close range as the homing shut off distance is short for destroyers (240m)

Against enemy submarines, her Submarine Surveillance consumable helps in spotting targets and her homing torpedoes can devastate unaware submarines. When fighting enemy subs, it is important to note that they can also use Submarine Surveillance to spot the player back, which can lead to unavoidable damage from depth charges.

Due to having much lower health and lower alpha strike, U-69 can be effective in a supporting playstyle, screening allies for torps, spotting destroyers/submarines, and forcing enemy ships to use their Damage Control Party. It is important to not get caught too deep in enemy lines by submarine surveillance or destroyers, as it can lead to a quick trip back to port.

U-69 is an entry level submarine, as her damage output is limited to homing torpedoes. She does not have many weaknesses that prevent her from being effective in most situations. Her biggest strengths are her low concealment and access to the Reserve Battery United consumable, which can aid in staying underwater to evade detection during shotgun attacks or when escaping detection range. The combination of her good maneuverability characteristics and low detection aids in the shotgunning playstyle. Players can find success in both long range homing torpedo attacks and shotgunning targets at close ranges.

Pros:

Long-range homing torpedoes with fast sonar ping reload time
Good dive capacity reserve
Good concealment
Access to the Reserve Battery Unit consumable

Cons:

Low HP pool
Slow sonar ping speed
Non existent armor

Research

Availability of researchable upgrades for U-69 is as follows:

Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for improved survivability. Research of this module unlocks progression to U-190.
Sonar: Upgrade to Type 6 Mod. B for a faster sonar reload.
Torpedoes: Upgrade to G7e T1 for better torpedo reload and damage.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1 or Damage Control Party Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Torpedo Tubes Modification 1 or Dive Capacity Modification 1
Slot 4: Submarine Steering Gears

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack			Defense
1	Enhanced Sonar -10% to sonar reload time when the boat is detected by an enemy.	Liquidator +30% chance of a torpedo strike causing flooding. ★★★	Helmsman Within 15 seconds of using the Hydrophone consumable: -10% to the shift times of the rudder and dive planes. ★	Priority Target The detection indicator additionally shows the number of opponents that are currently aiming at you with their main battery guns.	Incoming Fire Alert A warning about a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km.
2	Improved Battery Capacity +10% to the total Dive Capacity -20% Dive Capacity Recharge Rate per second. ★★★	Torpedo Crew Training -15% torpedo tubes reload time while detected by an enemy. ★★	Consumables Enhancements +5% to the action time of the boat's consumables.	Preventive Maintenance -30% to the risk of the main turrets [sic], torpedo tubes, steering gear, or engine becoming incapacitated. ★★	Last Stand The boat remains partially able to sustain speed and maneuverability with the engine and steering gears incapacitated.
3	Enhanced Impulse Generator If less than 33% of the maximum dive capacity remains: +15% sonar ping velocity.	Sonarman +25% to the duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted once. -15% to the duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted twice.	Consumables Specialist -15% to the preparation and reload time of the boat's consumables. ★★	Watchful If undetected, displays an indicator showing that the boat is within range of activated enemy Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, or Submarine Surveillance consumables. If you change depth while the indicator is displayed, you may be detected.. ★★★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★★
4	Adrenaline Rush For every 1% of HP lost, –0.25% to each of: * Main battery reload time * Sonar cooldown time * Torpedo tube reload time * Airstrike armament reload time * Secondary battery reload time. ★★★	Torpedo Aiming Master When launching homing torpedoes at a ship with a sector that is highlighted twice, torpedo damage is increased. The sector highlighted twice needs to remain active until the torpedoes hit the ship. +15% to torpedo damage.	Sonarman Expert When a sector is highlighted within 30 seconds of using the Hydrophone consumable: +25% to ping effect duration.	Improved Battery Efficiency If less than 50% of the maximum dive capacity remains: +25% Dive Capacity Recharge Rate per second. ★★	Enlarged Propeller Shaft While less than 50% of the maximum dive capacity remains: +18% to the boat's speed on the surface and at periscope depth. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

U-69 equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party  – 3 charges
Slot 2: Hydrophone 
Slot 3: Submarine Surveillance 
Slot 4: Reserve Battery Unit  – 2 charges

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation.	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★★	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

References

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

First available for testing for all players from random bundles from Update 0.10.7 until Update 0.11.0.
Made available for testing again for all players in Update 0.11.2 from sequential combat missions.

Testing Changes

DevBlog 181:
- Adjusted maximum sonar ping and torpedo range from 8.4 to 9 km.
- Adjusted detectability range:
  - By air and submarines: from 2.2 to 2.1 km.
  - When emitting a sonar ping in smoke: from 2 to 2.1 km.
- Other changes:
  - Speed of torpedoes changing depth is now approximately 2.5x higher.
  - Detectability range after emitting a sonar ping now increased to a flat 4 km, rather than the detectability value of the submarine on the surface.
  - The width of the sonar ping and its impact radius was increased 1.5x.
  - Speed of sonar ping emitted on the surface changed to 500 m/s.
  - Submarine Steering Gears Modification 2 added in upgrade slot 4.
DevBlog 188:
- Changed the parameters of torpedoes:
  - Speed increased from 57 to 73 knots.
  - Detectability increased from 1.5 to 1.9 km.
  - Maximum damage increased from 5,800 to 7,067.
  - Reload time decreased from 60 to 58 s.
- Changed the "Hydrophone" consumable:
  - Action time of the consumable increased from 45 to 60 s.
  - Detection of ships decreased from 8 to 6.5 km.
  - Detection of submarines decreased from 8 to 6.5 km.
Update 0.10.8:
- Dive capacity depletion when the submarine is detected increased from 2 to 4 points per second.
- Dive capacity restoration rate increased from 0.3 to 0.5 points per second.
- Detectability range by sea after using the Sonar Ping decreased from 4 to 2 km.
- The time it takes the torpedoes to arm increased from 0.5 to 2 s.
- Decreased the detectability after using the Sonar Ping in smoke from 2.1 to 2 km.
- Changed the Hydrophone consumable:
  - Consumable action time decreased from 60 to 40 s.
  - Consumable cooldown time decreased from 90 to 60 s.
  - Decreased ship bearing distance and spotting range when submerged from 6 to 5.5 km.
Update 0.10.9:
- Dive Capacity depletion rate when spotted decreased from 4 to 3 units per second.
- Torpedoes are now launched one by one.
- The width of torpedo launch cone increased 2.5 times.
- Changed the parameters of torpedoes and sonar ping:
  - Maximum torpedo damage increased from 7,067 to 7,533.
  - Chance of causing flooding by a torpedo increased from 37% to 41%.
  - Torpedo and sonar ping range increased from 9 to 11.5 km.
Update 0.10.10:
- Decreased maneuvering capabilities of homing torpedoes.
- Distance in which homing torpedoes cease to home in on cruisers and destroyers increased twofold.
- The base visibility of surface ships at operating depth was reduced to 2 km.
- Changes in the visibility of the submarine now occur at periscope and operating depth.
Update 0.10.11:
- The torpedo homing mechanics were updated.
- The Hydrophone consumable starts with a 300 s cooldown at the beginning of a battle.
- Added an underwater torpedo reticle.
DevBlog 255:
- Increased HP from 8,300 to 11,500.
- Increased the duration of the double-pinged sector from 25 to 75 s.
- Can no longer be detected with the Surveillance Radar consumable at periscope depth.
- Can now detect ships in smoke from the assured acquisition range from operating depth.
- Ships in smoke can now detect the submarine at the operating depth from the assured acquisition range.
- Fixed a bug causing the submarine to be affected by a 20-second detectability penalty after using a sonar ping.
- Fixed a bug that caused ships' detectability to increase for the submarine after firing main battery guns while in smoke.
Update 0.11.0:
- Removed from the live server.
Update 0.11.2.1 (This lists the overall changes made to the submarine, including DevBlog 289 and DevBlog 293):
- Readded to the live server.
- Can now be detected by Hydroacoustic Search at maximum depth from 2 km.
- Operating depth removed.
- Emits oil slicks when hit at periscope or maximum depth.
- Sonar pings emitted by the submarine are visible to enemy ships at a distance of 8 km.
- Changed the Damage Control Party consumable:
  - Number of charges decreased from unlimited to 3.
  - Cooldown increased from 40 to 60 s.
  - Action time increased from 5 to 15 s.
- Changes of the Hydrophone consumable:
  - Number of charges increased from 3 to unlimited.
  - Interval between pings decreased to 6 s.
- Changed the parameters of homing torpedoes:
  - Arming time set to 2 s.
  - Ascent time increased by approximately 2 times.
  - Reload time decreased from 58 to 50 s.
  - Flooding chance decreased from 41% to 31%.
- Sonar reload time increased from 6 s to 6.5 s.
- Decreased the duration of the double-pinged sector from 75 to 50 s.
- Dive capacity decreased from 400 units to 230 units.
- Dive capacity recharge rate increased from 0.5 to 1 units/s.
- Dive capacity depletion rate when detected decreased from 3 to 1.3 units/s.
- Flooding duration decreased from 40 to 30 s.
- Flooding damage increased from 0.20% to 0.33% HP/sec.
Update 0.11.3:
- Damage Control Party action time decreased from 15 to 5 s.
Update 0.11.4:
- Disabled the increased dive capacity depletion rate when the submarine is detected by the enemy.
- Replaced ping movement effect with ping launch effect when undetected, displayed within a range of 1 km from the submarine and lasting 5 seconds.
- The characteristics and capabilities at periscope depth are now maintained while staying at that depth and right until the submarine has reached her maximum depth.
- The border separating the periscope and maximum depths now lies at 15 m.
- Maximum depth values were changed to 30 and 60 m.
DevBlog 329:
- Added dispersion when launching torpedoes:
  - 11 ° for bow and 3 ° for stern tubes.
DevBlog 332:
- Changed the dispersion when launching torpedoes:
  - For bow tubes - reduced from 11 ° to 3 °.
  - For stern tubes - reduced from 3 ° to 1 °.
Update 0.11.5:
- Replaced the rotation of torpedo launchers with torpedo turning mechanics.
- Fixed a bug that caused the submarine at the start of each new battle to select a torpedo type that was different from the last selected type in the previous battle.
- Fixed a bug that prevented the submarine's torpedo reticles from turning to follow the sonar.
DevBlog 338:
- Dive Capacity recovery rate reduced from 1 to 0.8 units/s.
- Changes to speed and turning circle radius:
  - Surface speed: from 25 to 27 knots.
  - Underwater speed: from 15 to 13 knots.
  - Turning circle radius: from 470 to 420 meters.
DevBlog 348:
- Removed the Hydrophone consumable.
- Added the Echo-Ranging Set consumable with the following settings:
  - Action time: 30 s.
  - Reload time: 80 s.
  - Interval between pings: 6 s.
  - Ship bearing effect duration: 4 s.
  - Ship bearing distance: 7 km.
  - Number of charges: Unlimited.
- Added the Low-Frequency Hydrophone consumable with the following settings:
  - Action time: 60 s.
  - Reload time: 120 s.
  - Submarines' spotting range: 9 km.
  - Number of charges: Unlimited.
  - Preparation time: 360 s.
Update 0.11.7:
- Renamed the Echo-Ranging Set consumable to the Hydrophone consumable.
- Renamed the Low-Frequency Hydrophone consumable to the Submarine Surveillance consumable.
- Disabled guaranteed detection for the submarine in the submerged position.
- The visual effects above the submarine when using sonar is now also displayed for the submarine herself.
Update 0.11.8:
- Added a visual distinction between the effect of acoustic homing torpedoes and regular ones.
- Fixed a bug that caused Credits to be deducted for resupplying only a part of the submarine's ammunition.
- Fixed a bug that caused tooltips to overlap the screen with the composition of teams when playing the submarine.
DevBlog 370:
- With the release of Update 0.11.9:
  - Preparation time for the Submarine Surveillance consumable reduced from 360 to 330 s.

Update 0.11.9:
- Available in early access via sequential bundles and from Submarines containers.
- Readded the ping movement effect.
- Added a special indicator to notify players when there is little diving capacity remaining.
- Updated the set of sound effects for torpedo launching.
- Updated the icon for acoustic homing torpedoes.
Introduced to the game as a researchable ship in Update 0.11.10.

Ships of Germany

Destroyers	II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61 • VI Karl von Schönberg • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39 • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35 • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44 • IX ZF-6 • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42
Cruisers	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Battleships	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • ★ Hannover
Aircraft Carriers	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann

Submarines

Japan
U.K.
France
U.S.S.R.
U.S.A.
Germany
Pan-Asia
Spain
Europe
Netherlands
Italy
Commonwealth
Pan-America

Games

Navigation

Tools

U-69

Modules

Compatible Upgrades