SM U-46

Last updated
History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameU-46
Ordered4 August 1914
BuilderKaiserliche Werft, Danzig
Yard number24
Launched18 May 1915
Commissioned17 December 1915
FateSurrendered to Japan 26 November 1918
Naval ensign of the Empire of Japan.svg Japanese Empire
NameO-2
Acquired26 November 1918
Commissioned1920
Decommissioned1921
Fate
  • Possibly scrapped 1922;
  • Possibly foundered on 21 April 1925 or
  • Scuttled on or after 5 August 1927
General characteristics [1]
Class and type Type U-43 submarine
Displacement
  • 725 t (714 long tons) surfaced
  • 940 t (930 long tons) submerged
Length65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) (oa)
  • 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) (pressure hull)
Height9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Installed power
  • 2 × 2,000  PS (1,471  kW; 1,973  shp) surfaced
  • 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion2 shafts
Speed
  • 15.2 knots (28.2 km/h; 17.5 mph) surfaced
  • 9.7 knots (18.0 km/h; 11.2 mph) submerged
Range
  • 11,400  nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 51 nmi (94 km; 59 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement36
Armament
Service record [2]
Part of:
  • III Flotilla
  • 29 March 1916 – 11 November 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Leo Hillebrand
  • 17 December 1915 - 6 December 1917
  • Kptlt. Alfred Saalwächter
  • 7 December 1916 – 15 January 1917
  • Kptlt. Leo Hillebrand
  • 16 January – 11 November 1918
Operations: 11 patrols
Victories:
  • 51 merchant ships sunk
    (138,942  GRT)
  • 1 auxiliary warship sunk
    (1,372  GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (7,378  GRT)

SM U-46 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-46 was engaged in the combat during World War I and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, she served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as O-2.

Contents

Imperial German Navy

Ordered on 4 August 1914, U-46 was constructed at the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig, Germany. Launched on 18 May 1915, she was commissioned on 17 December 1915. [3]

Assigned to the III Flotilla, U-46 began her first war patrol on 29 March 1916. Remaining in the III Flotilla for the rest of the war, she conducted a total of 11 war patrols before the war ended on 11 November 1918 and was credited with sinking 51 merchant ships totaling 138,942 gross register tons and one auxiliary warship of 1,372 gross register tons and damaging one merchant ship of 7,378 gross register tons. [3]

After the end of the war, she surrendered to Japan on 26 November 1918. [3]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 1] Fate [4]
29 September 1916 Ravn Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,260Sunk
29 September 1916 Sinsen Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,925Sunk
30 September 1916 Hafnia Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 962Sunk
30 September 1916 Hekla Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 950Sunk
4 October 1916 Brantingham Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,617Sunk
6 October 1916 Erika Flag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 2,430Sunk
9 October 1916 Astoria Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,262Sunk
11 October 1916 Iolo Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,903Sunk
16 December 1916 Chassie Maersk Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1,387Sunk
16 December 1916 Taki Maru Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 3,208Sunk
16 December 1916 Gerda Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 775Sunk
17 December 1916 Bayhall Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,898Sunk
19 December 1916 Falk Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 948Sunk
23 December 1916 Marques De Urquijo Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 2,170Sunk
25 December 1916 Marie Pierre Flag of France.svg  France 166Sunk
27 December 1916 Aislaby Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,692Sunk
27 December 1916 Goulfar Flag of France.svg  France 259Sunk
21 March 1917 Hindustan Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,692Sunk
23 March 1917 Argo Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1,563Sunk
24 March 1917 Montreal Flag of France.svg  France 3,342Sunk
1 April 1917 Aztec Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States 3,727Sunk
3 April 1917 Hesperus Flag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 2,231Sunk
5 April 1917 Benheather Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,701Sunk
7 April 1917 Fiskaa Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,700Sunk
15 May 1917 Grosholm Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,847Sunk
17 May 1917 Lewisham Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,810Sunk
18 May 1917 Llandrindod Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,841Sunk
18 May 1917 Penhale Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,712Sunk
20 May 1917 HMS Paxton [5] Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 1,372Sunk
22 May 1917 Tansan Maru Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 2,443Sunk
24 May 1917 Jersey City Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,670Sunk
24 July 1917 Brumaire Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,324Sunk
24 July 1917 Zermatt Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,767Sunk
25 July 1917 Peninsula Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,384Sunk
25 July 1917 Purley Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,500Sunk
27 July 1917 Begona No. 4 Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,407Sunk
31 July 1917 Shimosa Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,221Sunk
22 October 1917 Zillah Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,788Sunk
24 October 1917 Ilderton Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,125Sunk
28 October 1917 Baron Balfour Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,991Sunk
4 November 1917 Irina Flag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 2,210Sunk
7 November 1917 Obj Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,829Sunk
27 January 1918 Andania Government Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 13,405Sunk
31 January 1918 Towneley Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,476Sunk
1 February 1918 Cavallo Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,086Sunk
3 February 1918 Lutece Flag of France.svg  France 1,346Sunk
5 February 1918 Cresswell Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,829Sunk
13 March 1918 Crayford Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,209Sunk
18 March 1918 Atlantic Sun Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States 2,333Sunk
30 March 1918 Stabil Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 538Sunk
25 May 1918 Rathlin Head Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 7,378Damaged
16 September 1918 Tasman Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 5,023Sunk
25 September 1918 Gloire a Jesus Flag of France.svg  France 60Sunk

Imperial Japanese Navy

Transferred to Japan after surrendering, the submarine was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920 as O-2. Decommissioned in 1921, she was partly dismantled at the Kure Naval Arsenal in April 1921. [3]

A photo of U-46 apparently at the time of transfer to Japan shows the submarine docked and flying the flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy over the flag of the Imperial German Navy. [6]

Some sources claim that O-2 was scrapped in 1922. [7] [8] Other sources claim that in 1925, O-2 was rebuilt at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal to serve as a testbed for submarine salvage operations by the submarine salvage ship Asahi and foundered in the Pacific Ocean in a storm off the coast of Japan during her transfer voyage from Yokosuka to Kure on 21 April 1925, [3] adding that an American merchant ship sighted her derelict hulk floating in the Pacific west of Oahu, Hawaii, on 5 August 1927, and that the hulk subsequently was scuttled. [3]

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References

Notes

  1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 46". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "U 46". Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 46". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  5. "Richard Tallack". A Tale of one City. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  6. "Photo of U-46 at the time of transfer to the Imperial Japanese Navy". Imperial War Museums (UK). Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  7. Gardiner, p. 177
  8. Gröner, p. 9.

Bibliography