SM U-6 (Germany)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-6.

SM U-6 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-6 was engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. Torpedoed by HMS E16 off Stavanger, Norway on 15 September 1915.

History
German Empire
Name	U-6
Ordered	8 April 1908
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Cost	2,540,000 Goldmark
Yard number	148
Laid down	24 August 1908
Launched	18 May 1910
Commissioned	12 August 1910
Fate	15 September 1915 - Torpedoed by HMS E16 off Stavanger 59°10′N 5°9′E. 24 dead and 4 survivors.
General characteristics
Class and type	German Type U 5 submarine
Displacement	505 t (497 long tons) surfaced 636 t (626 long tons) submerged
Length	57.30 m (188 ft) (o/a) 43.10 m (141 ft 5 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) (o/a) 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) (pressure hull)
Draught	3.55 m (11 ft 8 in)
Installed power	2 × Körting 6-cylinder and 2 ×  Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 900 PS (660 kW; 890 shp) 2 × SSW electric motors with 1,040 PS (760 kW; 1,030 shp) 550 rpm surfaced 600 rpm submerged
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) propellers
Speed	13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h; 11.7 mph) submerged
Range	3,300 nmi (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Test depth	30 m (98 ft)
Boats & landing craft carried	1 dingi
Complement	4 officers, 24 men
Armament	4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes 1 × 5 cm (2.0 in) SK L/40 gun 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun
Service record
Part of:	I. U-Halbflottille 1 August 1914 – 15 September 1915
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Wilhelm-Friedrich Starke 5 August – 28 September 1914 Oblt.z.S. Otto Steinbrinck 29 September – 4 November 1914 Oblt.z.S. Reinhold Lepsius 5 November 1914 – 5 January 1915 Oblt.z.S. Otto Steinbrinck 6 January 1915 – 21 January 1915 Oblt.z.S. Reinhold Lepsius 22 January – 15 September 1915
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	16 merchant ships sunk (9,614 GRT) 3 merchant ships taken as prize (2,337 GRT)

War Service

On 25 February 1915 U-6 left Germany for operations in the English Channel. She reached Cap Gris Nez on 27 February, and on 28 February was preparing to carry out an attack on the British steamer Thordis off Beachy Head, when the submarine's periscope was spotted by the merchant ship, which rammed U-6, damaging U-6's periscope. This forced the submarine to abandon her patrol and return to base.

U-6 operated in the North Sea between 7 and 20 April 1915. Based in Heligoland, she left for the British east coast. On 11 April she launched two torpedo attacks against a steamer off Aberdeen; both attacks failed. For the next three days U-6 observed shipping in the area until she successfully attacked and sank two steamers on 14 April. On 18 April she took the British trawler Glencarse (188 tons) as a prize and headed back to base, arriving in Heligoland on 21 April 1915.

Leaving Heligoland again on 17 July 1915, U-6 sank a Swedish sailing ship of 422 tons carrying timber to Britain on 19 July. On 21 July she took two Swedish steamers as prizes and set two more sailing ships (757 tons) carrying timber to Britain on fire. Three Norwegian sailing ships were burnt on 25 July. After a brief brush with a Q ship the next day, a Swedish steamer and three Danish sailing ships were burned. When she ran low on fuel, U-6 returned to base on 29 July reaching Heligoland the next day.

On 9 September 1915 U-6 sailed for what would be her final cruise. Burning two Norwegian sailing ships carrying timber to Britain on 10 September, U-6 took a Norwegian steamer as prize. Two days later a Norwegian motor vessel was searched and sunk off Kristiansand. On 14 September U-6 met with U-20.

Fate

In the afternoon on 15 September 1915, U-6 was attacked by a British submarine with two torpedoes. Evasive manoeuvres were only partly successful. While the first torpedo missed, the second struck U-6 right in front of the conning tower, sinking her instantly. Except for five men on the conning tower all of U-6's crew perished. According to Oberleutnant z.S. Beyer, officer of the watch at the time of her sinking, the smoke from U-6's paraffin engines made the commander of the Royal Navy submarine aware of her presence and enabled him to get into launching position.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
14 April 1915	Folke	Sweden	1,352	Sunk
14 April 1915	Glencarse	United Kingdom	188	Captured as prize
14 April 1915	Vestland	Denmark	3,392	Sunk
19 April 1915	Capella	Sweden	422	Sunk
21 July 1915	Anvers	Norway	862	Captured as prize
21 July 1915	Madonna	Sweden	455	Sunk
22 July 1915	Fortuna	Sweden	203	Sunk
25 July 1915	G. P. Harbitz	Norway	673	Sunk
25 July 1915	Harboe	Norway	388	Sunk
25 July 1915	Sognedalen	Norway	644	Sunk
26 July 1915	Elna	Denmark	78	Sunk
26 July 1915	Emma	Sweden	687	Sunk
26 July 1915	Marie	Denmark	173	Sunk
26 July 1915	Neptunus	Denmark	143	Sunk
10 September 1915	Presto	Norway	206	Sunk
11 September 1915	Wansbeck	Norway	462	Sunk
11 September 1915	Randulf Hansen	Norway	1,287	Captured as prize
12 September 1915	Bien	Norway	120	Sunk
13 September 1915	Norte	Norway	216	Sunk

Bibliography

• 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.
• Monograph No. 29: Home Waters—Part IV. From February to July 1915 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIII. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1925.
• Rössler, Eberhard (1985). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkriegs, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935–1945 [The German Submarines and Their Shipyards: Submarine Construction Until the End of the First World War] (in German). Vol. I. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
• Spindler, Handelskrieg, Vol.II, pp. 75, 133-4, 246–7