SM U-49
History | |
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German Empire | |
Name: | U-49 |
Ordered: | 4 August 1914 |
Builder: | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
Launched: | 26 November 1915 |
Commissioned: | 31 May 1916 |
Fate: | Rammed in Biscay and sunk by gunfire from SS British Transport on 11 September 1917. 43 dead. |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type: | Type U-43 submarine |
Displacement: |
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Length: | 65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a) |
Beam: |
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Height: | 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in) |
Draught: | 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in) |
Installed power: | |
Propulsion: | 2 shafts |
Speed: |
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Range: |
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Test depth: | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
Complement: | 36 |
Armament: |
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Service record | |
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Part of |
III Flotilla 7 August 1916 – 11 September 1917 |
Commanders |
Kptlt. Richard Hartmann 31 May 1916 – 11 September 1917 |
Operations | 6 patrols |
Victories |
38 merchant ships sunk (86,319 GRT) 2 merchant ships damaged (2,609 GRT) 1 merchant ship taken as prize (566 GRT) |
SM U-49[Note 1] was the seventh U-boat of the U-43 class. She was ordered on 4 August 1914 and was put into the III Flotilla 7 August 1916. Over the course of her career she had sunk 38 ships for a total of over 86,000 gross register tons (GRT), of those, none were naval ships. Her only commander was Kapitänleutnant Richard Hartmann who led the boat throughout its entire life until the day she was sunk on 11 September 1917 while operating in the Bay of Biscay. While surfaced, U-49 attacked the merchant ship SS British Transport, which had sailed Brest bound for Archangel, Russia, laden with munitions and other explosives. After a gun battle lasting five hours, she fired two torpedoes at British Transport; both missed, and the merchantman then rammed and sank her at 46°17′N 14°42′W / 46.283°N 14.700°W; all hands were lost.[2] It was the first instance in the war when a merchant ship had sunk a U-boat. The skipper of British Transport, Captain A. T. Pope, was subsequently awarded the DSO.[3][4]
Summary of raiding history
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
28 September 1916 | Benguela | Sweden | 688 | Sunk |
28 September 1916 | Emanuel | Norway | 246 | Sunk |
29 September 1916 | Haarfagre | Norway | 566 | Captured as a prize |
29 September 1916 | Nornen | Norway | 215 | Sunk |
1 November 1916 | Seatonia | United Kingdom | 3,533 | Sunk |
2 November 1916 | Caswell | United Kingdom | 245 | Sunk |
2 November 1916 | Harfat Castle | United Kingdom | 274 | Sunk |
2 November 1916 | Kyoto | United Kingdom | 282 | Sunk |
8 November 1916 | Columbian | United States | 8,580 | Sunk |
9 November 1916 | Balto | Norway | 3,538 | Sunk |
9 November 1916 | Fordalen | Norway | 2,835 | Sunk |
10 November 1916 | Camma | Norway | 794 | Sunk |
11 November 1916 | Barbara | Greece | 2,831 | Sunk |
11 November 1916 | Ragnar | Denmark | 2,123 | Sunk |
12 November 1916 | Lady Carrington | United Kingdom | 3,269 | Sunk |
12 November 1916 | Leda | Netherlands | 1,140 | Damaged |
12 November 1916 | Therese | Denmark | 1,333 | Sunk |
15 November 1916 | La Briantais | France | 255 | Sunk |
15 November 1916 | Lorca | United Kingdom | 4,129 | Sunk |
19 February 1917 | Sigrid | Russian Empire | 2,194 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | Galgorm Castle | United Kingdom | 1,596 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | Luigino B. | Kingdom of Italy | 1,971 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | Tritonia | United Kingdom | 4,445 | Sunk |
3 March 1917 | Newstead | United Kingdom | 2,836 | Sunk |
3 March 1917 | Sagamore | United Kingdom | 5,197 | Sunk |
5 May 1917 | Snig | Norway | 2,115 | Sunk |
8 May 1917 | Petunia | United Kingdom | 1,749 | Sunk |
11 May 1917 | Barrister | United Kingdom | 3,679 | Sunk |
14 May 1917 | Carnmoney | United Kingdom | 1,299 | Sunk |
17 May 1917 | George Pyman | United Kingdom | 3,859 | Sunk |
1 July 1917 | Stalheim | Norway | 1,469 | Damaged |
3 July 1917 | Cimbria | Denmark | 234 | Sunk |
3 July 1917 | Mary Boyes | Denmark | 101 | Sunk |
3 July 1917 | Proefneming I | Netherlands | 112 | Sunk |
3 July 1917 | Thor | Netherlands | 105 | Sunk |
8 July 1917 | Obuasi | United Kingdom | 4,416 | Sunk |
10 July 1917 | King David | United Kingdom | 3,680 | Sunk |
12 July 1917 | Muirfield | United Kingdom | 3,086 | Sunk |
15 July 1917 | Dudhope | United Kingdom | 2,086 | Sunk |
16 July 1917 | Lamia L. | Kingdom of Italy | 2,220 | Sunk |
11 September 1917 | Vienna | United Kingdom | 4,170 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- ↑ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ↑ Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
- ↑ Gröner 1991, pp. 8-10.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 49". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
- ↑ Stevens, E. F., (1950). One hundred years of Houlders. Houlder Bros., London.
- ↑ Haws, D., (2000). Merchant Fleets in Profile. Volume 38. ISBN 0946378398
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 49". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
Bibliography
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Coordinates: 46°17′N 14°42′W / 46.283°N 14.700°W