SM U-65 (Germany)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-65.

U-65
History
German Empire
NameU-65
Ordered17 May 1915
BuilderGermaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number249
Laid down4 June 1915
Launched21 March 1916
Commissioned11 May 1916
Fate28 October 1918 - Scuttled at Pola in position 44°52′N 13°50′E / 44.867°N 13.833°E / 44.867; 13.833 during the evacuation from there.[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeType U 63 submarine
Displacement
  • 810 t (800 long tons) surfaced
  • 927 t (912 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) (oa)
  • 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) (pressure hull)
Height7.65 m (25 ft 1 in)
Draught4.04 m (13 ft 3 in)
Installed power
  • 2 × 2,200 PS (1,618 kW; 2,170 shp) surfaced
  • 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion2 shafts
Speed
  • 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced
  • 9.0 knots (16.7 km/h; 10.4 mph) submerged
Range
  • 9,170 nmi (16,980 km; 10,550 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement36
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • IV Flotilla
  • 2 July - 18 November 1916
  • Pola / Mittelmeer / Mittelmeer I Flotilla
  • 18 November 1916 - 28 October 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Hermann von Fischel[3]
  • 11 May 1916 – 18 July 1918
  • Kptlt. Gustav Sieß[4]
  • 19 July – 29 September 1918
  • Kptlt. Clemens Wickel [5]
  • 30 September – 28 October 1918
Operations: 11 patrols
Victories:
  • 47 merchant ships sunk
    (75,280 GRT)[6]
  • 1 auxiliary warship sunk
    (1,498 GRT)[7]
  • 3 merchant ships damaged
    (8,402 tons)[8]

SM U-65[Note 1] was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-65 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Operations

U-65. Kaptlt. Hermann von Fischel. On completion at Kiel did trials at Kiel School about May and June 1916, afterwards proceeding to the North Sea to join 4th Flotilla.

  • ? 11–14 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
  • 16–24 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
  • 17–21 August 1916. North Sea patrol, attacked minesweeper Haldon 20 August.
  • 3–4 September 1916. North Sea patrol. Returned with defects.
  • 26 October – 19 November 1916. To Mediterranean, northabout. Engaged by armed yacht Valiant II in 35°55′N 3°57′W / 35.917°N 3.950°W / 35.917; -3.950. Sank nothing. On arrival at Cattaro joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.
  • 28 November – 7 December 1916. Left Cattaro and on 1 December probably sank a steamer. On 4 December sank British SS Caledonia in 35°40′N 17°04′E / 35.667°N 17.067°E / 35.667; 17.067. The submarine was badly rammed by Caledonia and appears to have returned home immediately on the surface.
  • 17 February 1917. Sank troopship SS Athos (12,644 tons). 754 casualties.
  • 29 March – 19/20 April 1917. In western Mediterranean sank 4 steamships, 5 sailing vessels (13,000 tons).
  • 14 May – 9 June 1917. Possible cruise of U-65. After leaving Cattaro submarine damaged cruiser HMS Dartmouth by torpedo on 15 May in 41°11′N 18°15′E / 41.183°N 18.250°E / 41.183; 18.250. She then sank 7 steamers and 12 sailing vessels in the central Mediterranean. 6 June, she was reported off Cape Passaro, 7 June in the vicinity of Straits of Messina, and 8 June was possibly attacked by seaplane in 39°4′N 19°00′E / 39.067°N 19.000°E / 39.067; 19.000.
  • The next cruise of U-65 which can be reconstructed with probability was from 10 to 31 January or 1 February 1918. On this cruise she sank 2 steamers and 1 sailing vessel, and was twice attacked from the air and once by depth-charged by Campanula, which she missed by torpedo.
  • A later possible cruise was for about the first 3 weeks of September 1918, on which she sank 4 steamers and damaged 4 more, between longitudes 8° and 17°E.
  • At the end of October 1918 she was scuttled[9] by the Germans at Pola or Cattaro.

Summary of raiding history

Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 2] Fate[10]
4 December 1916 Caledonia  United Kingdom 9,223 Sunk
17 February 1917 Athos  France 12,644 Sunk
24 February 1917 Venere  Kingdom of Italy 290 Sunk
28 February 1917 Emancipato  Kingdom of Italy 30 Sunk
1 March 1917 Nicolaos  Greece 1,215 Sunk
1 March 1917 Teresina  Kingdom of Italy 212 Sunk
2 March 1917 S. Vincenzo F.  Kingdom of Italy 52 Sunk
6 March 1917 Porto Di Smirne  Kingdom of Italy 2,576 Sunk
1 April 1917 Maria T.  Kingdom of Italy 45 Sunk
1 April 1917 Maria Santissima D. Grazie  Kingdom of Italy 35 Sunk
2 April 1917 Britannia  United Kingdom 3,129 Sunk
3 April 1917 Maria Ferrara  Kingdom of Italy 106 Sunk
5 April 1917 Calliope  United Kingdom 3,829 Sunk
7 April 1917 Trefusis  United Kingdom 2,642 Sunk
8 April 1917 Lucia  Kingdom of Italy 138 Sunk
8 April 1917 Papa Gian Battista  Kingdom of Italy 138 Sunk
11 April 1917 Tremorvah  United Kingdom 3,654 Sunk
12 April 1917 Angela M.  Kingdom of Italy 187 Sunk
21 May 1917 Ampleforth  United Kingdom 3,873 Sunk
21 May 1917 Don Diego  United Kingdom 3,632 Sunk
23 May 1917 England  United Kingdom 3,798 Sunk
23 May 1917 Febronia Maria Antonina  Kingdom of Italy 55 Sunk
24 May 1917 Sant Antonio Di Padova  Kingdom of Italy 184 Sunk
25 May 1917 Diego Russo  Kingdom of Italy 113 Sunk
25 May 1917 Natale Monaco  Kingdom of Italy 57 Sunk
25 May 1917 Rosina R.  Kingdom of Italy 54 Sunk
25 May 1917 Vincenzino C.  Kingdom of Italy 55 Sunk
26 May 1917 Angelo Padre  Kingdom of Italy 50 Sunk
26 May 1917 Umaria  United Kingdom 5,317 Sunk
27 May 1917 Luigi  Kingdom of Italy 137 Sunk
27 May 1917 Maria Giuseppe  Kingdom of Italy 26 Sunk
4 June 1917 Manchester Trader  United Kingdom 3,938 Sunk
7 June 1917 Rosa M.  Kingdom of Italy 65 Sunk
5 July 1917 Ciboure  France 2,388 Sunk
6 July 1917 Roma  Kingdom of Italy 53 Sunk
8 July 1917 L'Immortale Leone  Kingdom of Italy 133 Sunk
24 November 1917 Enna  Kingdom of Italy 1,814 Sunk
1 December 1917 Citta Di Sassari  Kingdom of Italy 2,167 Sunk
2 December 1917 Carlino  Kingdom of Italy 95 Sunk
2 December 1917 La Margherita  Kingdom of Italy 41 Sunk
2 December 1917 San Antonio Il Vittorioso  Kingdom of Italy 45 Sunk
3 December 1917 Angelo  Kingdom of Italy 542 Damaged
25 January 1918 Giuseppe O.  Kingdom of Italy 74 Sunk
27 June 1918 Sotolongo  Spain 3,009 Sunk
1 July 1918 Monte Cristo  France 622 Sunk
4 July 1918 Merida  United Kingdom 5,951 Damaged
2 September 1918 San Andres  United Kingdom 3,314 Sunk
12 September 1918 Chao Chow Fu  United Kingdom 1,909 Damaged
12 September 1918 HMS Sarnia  Royal Navy 1,498 Sunk
14 September 1918 Ioanna No. 45  United Kingdom 9 Sunk
15 September 1918 Ioanna No. 37  United Kingdom 17 Sunk

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
  2. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hermann von Fischel". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Gustav Sieß". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Clemens Wickel". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
  7. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
  8. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
  9. ^ NA, HW 7/3, p.230, states U-65 was "blown up". Handelskrieg, Vol 5, p.227, names 10 submarines, including U-65, which were all in a state beyond repair and were destroyed at the evacuation of the Austrian submarine bases: "... some of them were blown up in their bases, some were scuttled at sea in the vicinity of their bases." Uboat.net says she was "scuttled", but gives no source or reference for this.
  10. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

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.
  • 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 978-0-241-10864-2.
  • Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85728-498-0.
  • Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-5963-7.
  • Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-6235-4.
  • 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.