In Das Boot, what type of vessel is the crew commanded to operate?

In Das Boot, the crew operates a German U-boat, or submarine.

Wolfgang Petersen’s 1981 film follows the crew of the fictional submarine U-96 during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. Much of the drama takes place inside the cramped vessel, where sailors contend with exhaustion, mechanical failures, depth charges, poor air quality, and the uncertainty of submerged combat.

The German term U-boat comes from Unterseeboot, meaning “undersea boat.” The film is based on Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s 1973 novel, which drew on his experiences as a war correspondent aboard a German submarine. Das Boot is sometimes described as simply a submarine adventure, but its central perspective is the physical and psychological strain imposed on the crew. Jürgen Prochnow plays the unnamed captain, while the story also follows a young war correspondent observing life aboard the vessel.