SM U-50

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History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameU-50
Ordered4 August 1914
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number28
Launched31 December 1915
Commissioned4 July 1916
FateSunk probably by a mine off Terschelling on or after 31 August 1917 [1]
General characteristics [2]
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
Part of:
  • III Flotilla
  • 4 July 1916 – 31 August 1917
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Gerhard Berger [3]
  • 4 July 1916 - 31 August 1917
Operations: 5 patrols
Victories: 27 merchant ships sunk
(92,924  GRT)

SM U-50 [Note 1] was one of 329 submarines in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Contents

U-50 is most notable for sinking the Laconia, formerly an armed merchant cruiser which had returned to passenger service, killing two Americans before the United States had entered the war. Laconia was also the 15th largest ship destroyed by submarine in the war. [4]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 2] Fate [5]
10 November 1916 Bogota Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,577Sunk
11 November 1916 Løkken Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,954Sunk
11 November 1916 Morazan Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,486Sunk
11 November 1916 Sarah Radcliffe Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,333Sunk
12 November 1916 San Giovanni Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg  Kingdom of Italy 1,315Sunk
12 November 1916 Stylinai Bebis Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg  Greece 3,603Sunk
12 November 1916 Ioannis Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg  Greece 3,828Sunk
13 November 1916 Lela Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg  Kingdom of Italy 2,987Sunk
14 November 1916 Hatsuse Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 282Sunk
18 February 1917 Jean Pierre Flag of France.svg  France 449Sunk
22 February 1917 Blenheim Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,144Sunk
24 February 1917 Falcon Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,244Sunk
25 February 1917 Aries Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,071Sunk
25 February 1917 Huntsman Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 7,460Sunk
25 February 1917 Laconia Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 18,099Sunk
11 April 1917 Sarvsfos Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,462Sunk
19 April 1917 Avocet Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,219Sunk
20 April 1917 Emma Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,520Sunk
21 April 1917 Diadem Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,307Sunk
23 April 1917 Dykland Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4,291Sunk
23 April 1917 Oswald Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 5,185Sunk
25 April 1917 Swanmore Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 6,373Sunk
7 June 1917 Yuba Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,458Sunk
11 June 1917 Sigrun Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 2,538Sunk
16 June 1917 Carrie Hervey Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 111Sunk
21 June 1917 Ortona Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 5,524Sunk
26 June 1917 Vonin Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 104Sunk

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SM UC-11 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 26 January 1915, and was launched on 11 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 23 April 1915 as SM UC-11. Mines laid by UC-11 in her 83 patrols were credited with sinking 27 ships. UC-11 was mined and sunk on 26 June 1918. A crew member was Rudolf Finkler from Oberlinxweiler, Kreis St. Wendel, Germany. According to his death record the boat went down in the North Sea near Harwich, abt. 2.5 nautical miles north east of Funk Feuerschiff on position 51°55′N1°41′E.

SM UC-14 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 28 January 1915, and was launched on 13 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 June 1915 as SM UC-14. Mines laid by UC-14 in her 38 patrols were credited with sinking 16 ships, one of which was the Italian pre-dreadnought battleship Regina Margherita, which at 13,427 tonnes displacement was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war. UC-14 was mined and sunk on 3 October 1917.

SM UB-30 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 16 November 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 March 1916 as SM UB-30.

SM UC-17 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was ordered on 29 August 1915 and launched on 29 February 1916. She was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 21 July 1916 as SM UC-17.

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SM UC-22 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 29 August 1915 and was launched on 1 February 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 30 June 1916 as SM UC-22. In 15 patrols UC-22 was credited with sinking 23 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-22 was surrendered to France on 3 February 1919 and was broken up at Landerneau in July 1921.

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SM UC-65 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 8 July 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 7 November 1916 as SM UC-65. In eleven patrols UC-65 was credited with sinking 106 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-65 was torpedoed and sunk by HMS C15 on 3 November 1917.

SM UC-71 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 12 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 November 1916 as SM UC-71. In 19 patrols UC-71 was credited with sinking 63 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-71 sank on 20 February 1919 in the North Sea while on her way to be surrendered. Discovery a century later of her wreck with all hatches open suggested she had been deliberately scuttled by her own crew.

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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 50". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Gerhard Berger". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Largest ships". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 50". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

Bibliography

55°25′00″N04°17′00″E / 55.41667°N 4.28333°E / 55.41667; 4.28333

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