German submarine U-38 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged.

The already strict rules restricting submarine warfare were further tightened to prevent a recurrence of the event and all U-boats were instructed to avoid contact with any French merchant vessels.

Citing the fact that Manaar had fired at him, Liebe did not assist the survivors, reasoning that the ship was exempted from protection by the Submarine Protocol.

[9] In spite of Captain William Trowsdale's protestation that they were Irish, Liebe said that they "were sorry" but U-38 sank Inverliffey as she was carrying contraband petrol to England.

[16] Running silently into the bay, U-38 had to avoid being sighted by merchant vessels in order to help maintain the Soviet Union's attempted appearance of neutrality at that time.

[16] U-38's captain commented that, while in the area of the North Cape and the Kola Peninsula, he had observed thirty to forty targets and regrettably had been "harmless to [all] of them.

"[16] After completing the clandestine reconnaissance mission, U-38 returned to raiding duties and sank three ships, two British and one Greek.

[13] Once again, U-38 spent considerable time in port, prior to sailing on 26 February 1940, for operations in the Western Approaches.

First sent to the bottom was the neutral Irish steam trawler ST Leukos on 9 March, with a single shell at point-blank range off Tory Island, all 11 crew were lost.

The sixth and final ship sunk during this third patrol was the Finnish cargo steamship Signe on 2 April.

First sunk was the Canadian cargo steamship Erik Boye, followed by the Norwegian motor tanker Italia.

[23] During this patrol, U-38 was able to land Walter Simon, a Nazi agent, at Dingle Bay in Ireland on 12 June.

Not realising that the passenger services of the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway had been closed fourteen months earlier, he asked when the next train to Dublin was.

On this month-long patrol off the western coast of Ireland, U-38 hit and sank three ships, all of which were in convoy at the time of attack.

On 7 August she sank the Egyptian liner SS Mohamed Ali El-Kebir, which was part of Convoy HX 61 from Halifax to Gibraltar, killing 320 people.

[25] The British cargo steamship Llanfair was hit and sunk, travelling as part of SL-41 from Sierra Leone to England.

The third and final ship that UB-38 sank on her sixth patrol was the British Cypriot steamship Har Zion, which had just left Convoy OB 225 from Liverpool, and was bound for Savannah.

After two weeks of no victories, U-38 was successful against the Greek cargo steamship Aenos on 17 October, sailing as part of Convoy SC 7, from Sydney, Nova Scotia to England.

The next day she damaged but failed to sink the British cargo steamship Carsbreck, which was part of Convoy SC 7 from Sydney to Grimsby, England.

On 19 October she hit two cargo steamships, both members of Convoy HX 79: the Dutch Bilderdijk and British Matheran.

[28] U-38 spent two and a half months in port, before leaving for operations off the west coast of Africa on 9 April 1941.

On 4 May she torpedoed the Swedish cargo steamship Japan, which was in Convoy OB 310 from England to the United States.

On 23 May she sank the Dutch cargo motor ship Berhala, which was part of Convoy OB 318 from England to America.

The eighth and final ship that U-38 sank on her ninth patrol was the British cargo steamship Kingston Hill on 8 June.