Das Boot characters

Also known as The Correspondent

Appears from the start

A naval war correspondent assigned to accompany a German U-boat patrol from occupied France in 1941. New to submarine warfare, he observes the crew with a photographer's eye and gradually learns the physical and psychological cost of life inside the boat.

Also known as The Old Man, Herr Kaleun

Appears from the start

The experienced commander of the U-boat. Still young by ordinary standards but aged by repeated patrols, he is sardonic about propaganda and the naval command while remaining wholly responsible for his boat and crew.

Also known as The Chief, LI

Appears from the start

The boat's chief engineer, responsible for its engines, batteries, machinery, and damage control. Calm technical judgment makes him the captain's essential partner whenever the submarine is pushed beyond safe limits.

Also known as Number One

Appears from the start

The first watch officer, precise in his duties and more conventional in his military bearing than the captain. He helps manage attacks and watches while trying to maintain standards in the cramped boat.

Also known as Number Two

Appears from the start

The second watch officer, one of the young officers who rotates bridge and control-room duties during the patrol. His relative youth reflects how quickly wartime service places heavy responsibility on inexperienced men.

Also known as The Ghost

First appears in chapter 2

The senior engine-room specialist, intensely attached to the diesel machinery and usually found below. His withdrawal and strain become conspicuous during a prolonged depth-charge attack.

First appears in chapter 2

A seasoned petty officer who supervises practical seamanship and the enlisted crew. He is part of the experienced core that keeps routine functioning despite exhaustion, foul air, and danger.

First appears in chapter 2

A crewman entrusted with radio and medical responsibilities aboard the U-boat. In the confined boat, his duties connect the men both to distant command and to the limited treatment available for injury or illness.

First appears in chapter 2

A young officer candidate serving aboard the submarine while separated from his pregnant French fiancée. His private worries sit uneasily beside the impersonal demands of the patrol.

First appears in chapter 2

One of the enlisted sailors whose jokes, fatigue, and fear form part of the boat's close communal life. Like the others, he has almost no privacy during the long patrol.