SM U-18[Note 1] was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-18 engaged in the commerce warfare in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
 SM U-18 (second row, second from the right)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | U-18 |
| Ordered | May 6, 1910 |
| Builder | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Cost | 2,333,000 Goldmark |
| Yard number | 12 |
| Laid down | 27 October 1910 |
| Launched | 25 April 1912 |
| Commissioned | 17 November 1912 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | German Type U 17 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 dingi |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament | 4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes |
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 3 patrols |
| Victories: | None |
Service history
editBeginning in October 1914, she was commanded by Kaptlt. von Hennig.[2]
On her third mission, on 23 November U-18 penetrated the fleet anchorage of Scapa Flow via Hoxa Sound, following a steamer through the boom and entering the anchorage with little difficulty. However, the fleet was absent, being dispersed in anchorages on the west coast of Scotland and Ireland. As U-18 was making her way back out through Hoxa Sound to the open sea, her periscope was spotted by a guard boat. The trawler Dorothy Gray altered course and rammed the periscope, rendering it unserviceable. U-18 then suffered a failure of her diving plane motor and the boat became unable to maintain her depth, at one point even impacting the seabed. She was rammed a second time by destroyer HMS Garry and eventually, her captain was forced to surface and scuttle his command just outside the Hoxa Gate; all crew members, except one, were picked up by British boats.[3][4] One crew member perished, while the remaining 22 were interned as prisoners of war.[5]
The wreck lies 75 m (246 ft) below the surface just outside the Hoxa Gate, at 58°41′N 02°55′W / 58.683°N 2.917°W.[6]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Heinrich von Henning". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918.
- ^ Messimer, Dwight R. (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Naval Institute Press. pp. 36–40. ISBN 9781557504753.
- ^ Koerver.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 18". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
- ^ Willmott, H.P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922. Indiana University Press. p. 376. ISBN 9780253352149.
Bibliography
edit- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Spindler, Arno (1966) [1932]. Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten. 5 Vols. Berlin: Mittler & Sohn. Vols. 4+5, dealing with 1917+18, are very hard to find: Guildhall Library, London, has them all, also Vol. 1-3 in an English translation: The submarine war against commerce.
- Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918. London: H Hamilton. ISBN 978-0241108642.
- Halpern, Paul G. (1918). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1857284980.
- Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3763759637.
- Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3763762354.
- Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol I., The Fleet in Action. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-76-3.
- Koerver, Hans Joachim (2009). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-77-0.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-boats destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-85409-321-5.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 18". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
- Room 40: Archived 2018-10-15 at the Wayback Machine original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.