SM U-36
Encyclopedia
SM U-36 was a Type 31
U-boat
in the service of the Kaiserliche Marine
(Imperial Navy) of the German Empire
, employed in the commerce war
in World War I
.
. She was launched on 6 June 1914 and commissioned on 14 November 1914, under the command of Kplt. Ernst Graeff. During February 1915, she carried out acceptance trials at Kiel, and was attached to the 2d Half-Flotilla in the North Sea in March.
(better known as Room 40).
Her first war patrol was in Heligoland Bight
29 - 30 March 1915; she reported no sinkings.
On 23 April, she returned to Heligoland Bight, apparently from a North Sea
patrol.
She departed 29 April, bound again North Sea, where she sank the 1,966 ton Danish
steamer
Lilian Drost on 8 May, captured the 1,241 ton Swedish
steamer
Björn 10 May as a prize, while capturing and releasing the 654 ton Dutch
steamer Niobe the same day.
U-36 returned to North Sea station 17 July. Operating off the north and northwest coast of Scotland, she sank three steamers (the 3,644 Russia
n Rubonia, 22 July; the 1,505 ton Frenchman
Danae, stopped according to prize rules and sunk; and the 3,819 ton Norwegian
Fimreite, both the next day).
On 22 July, U-36 also attacked a group of fishing vessels west of the Orkney Islands
, sinking nine small trawlers and two sailing vessels, and took one prize.
Shortly before she was sunk, she intercepted and captured the Pass of Balmaha, an American
windjammer
bearing a cargo of cotton
intended for Russia
, en route to Kirkwall
to be inspected by British authorities. An ensign from U-36 was left aboard the Pass to ensure her successful passage to Cuxhaven. The Pass was refitted as a merchant raider
and re-christened Seeadler, commanded by Count
Felix von Luckner
, soon to become famous for her naval exploits in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Prince Charles
(commanded by Lieutenant Mark Wardlaw, Royal Navy
) off the coast of North Rona
in the Outer Hebrides
. The submarine had just stopped and boarded the Danish vessel SS Luise and a boarding party was in the process of dumping her cargo when a lookout sighted an approaching steamer. U 36 sailed towards the disguised Prince Charles and ordered her to stop while firing at her. The Q-ship complied, swinging out her boats. The unsuspecting submarine came within about 600 m (656.2 yd) of the ship when Prince Charles hoisted the British flag of war and commenced firing. Taken completely by surprise, U-36 took several direct hits and heavy damage, and sank. When Luise moved to pick up the survivors floating in the water, Prince Charles fired into her, believing her to be a German resupply vessel. Forty-five minutes after U-36 sank, the remaining survivors were picked up by the Q-ship. Kplt. Graeff and 15 crewmen were saved, but 18 others were lost. U-36 was the first U-boat sunk by Q-ship, and one of only a handful to fall victim.
German Type U 31 submarine
U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one geck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a deck gun...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
in the service of the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
(Imperial Navy) of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, employed in the commerce war
U-boat Campaign (World War I)
The U-boat Campaign from 1914 to 1918 was the World War I naval campaign fought by German U-boats against the trade routes of the Entente Powers...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
History
U-36 was laid down on 2 January 1913 at Germaniawerft in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. She was launched on 6 June 1914 and commissioned on 14 November 1914, under the command of Kplt. Ernst Graeff. During February 1915, she carried out acceptance trials at Kiel, and was attached to the 2d Half-Flotilla in the North Sea in March.
World War I
SM U-36s movements and operations were monitored and reported by British Naval IntelligenceRoom 40
In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
(better known as Room 40).
Her first war patrol was in Heligoland Bight
Heligoland Bight
The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river...
29 - 30 March 1915; she reported no sinkings.
On 23 April, she returned to Heligoland Bight, apparently from a North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
patrol.
She departed 29 April, bound again North Sea, where she sank the 1,966 ton Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Lilian Drost on 8 May, captured the 1,241 ton Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
steamer
Björn 10 May as a prize, while capturing and releasing the 654 ton Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
steamer Niobe the same day.
U-36 returned to North Sea station 17 July. Operating off the north and northwest coast of Scotland, she sank three steamers (the 3,644 Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Rubonia, 22 July; the 1,505 ton Frenchman
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Danae, stopped according to prize rules and sunk; and the 3,819 ton Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Fimreite, both the next day).
On 22 July, U-36 also attacked a group of fishing vessels west of the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
, sinking nine small trawlers and two sailing vessels, and took one prize.
Shortly before she was sunk, she intercepted and captured the Pass of Balmaha, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
windjammer
Windjammer
A windjammer is the ultimate type of large sailing ship with an iron or for the most part steel hull, built to carry cargo in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century...
bearing a cargo of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
intended for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, en route to Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
to be inspected by British authorities. An ensign from U-36 was left aboard the Pass to ensure her successful passage to Cuxhaven. The Pass was refitted as a merchant raider
Merchant raider
Merchant raiders are ships which disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels, whilst actually being armed and intending to attack enemy commerce. Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I, and again early in World War II...
and re-christened Seeadler, commanded by Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Felix von Luckner
Felix von Luckner
Felix Graf von Luckner was a German nobleman, navy officer, author and noted sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel -- and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers -- for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler in...
, soon to become famous for her naval exploits in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Fate
U-36 was sunk in the afternoon of 24 July 1915 in combat with the British Q-shipQ-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...
Prince Charles
HMS Prince Charles
HMS Prince Charles was the name of two ships in the Royal Navy:* Prince Charles was a Q ship in the Great War* HMS Prince Charles was a ferry taken into military service as an LSI in the Second World War....
(commanded by Lieutenant Mark Wardlaw, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
) off the coast of North Rona
North Rona
Rona is a remote Scottish island in the North Atlantic. Rona is often referred to as North Rona in order to distinguish it from South Rona . It has an area of and a maximum height of...
in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
. The submarine had just stopped and boarded the Danish vessel SS Luise and a boarding party was in the process of dumping her cargo when a lookout sighted an approaching steamer. U 36 sailed towards the disguised Prince Charles and ordered her to stop while firing at her. The Q-ship complied, swinging out her boats. The unsuspecting submarine came within about 600 m (656.2 yd) of the ship when Prince Charles hoisted the British flag of war and commenced firing. Taken completely by surprise, U-36 took several direct hits and heavy damage, and sank. When Luise moved to pick up the survivors floating in the water, Prince Charles fired into her, believing her to be a German resupply vessel. Forty-five minutes after U-36 sank, the remaining survivors were picked up by the Q-ship. Kplt. Graeff and 15 crewmen were saved, but 18 others were lost. U-36 was the first U-boat sunk by Q-ship, and one of only a handful to fall victim.
Shipping sunk or captured
- Lilian Drost, 1,966 tons, Danish steamer sunk on 8 May 1915
- Björn, 1,241 tons, Swedish steamer taken as prize and retained on 10 May 1915
- Niobe, 654 tons, Dutch steamer taken as prize on 10 May 1915 (later released)
- Nordlyset, 82 tons, Norwegian sailing vessel sunk on 19 Jul 1915
- King Athelstan, 159 tons, British trawler stopped and scuttled on 22 Jul 1915
- Rubonia, 3,644, Russian steamer sunk on 22 Jul 1915
- Star of Peace, 180 tons, British trawler stopped and sunk on 22 Jul 1915
- Danae, 1,505 tons, French steamer stopped and sunk on 23 Jul 1915
- Fimreite, 3,819 tons, Norwegian steamer sunk on 23 Jul 1915
- Hermione, 210 tons, British trawler stopped and sunk by gunnery on 23 Jul 1915
- Honoria, 207 tons, British trawler sunk on 23 Jul 1915
- Sutton, 332 tons, British trawler sunk on 23 Jul 1915
- Anglia, 107 tons, British trawler sunk on 24 Jul 1915
- Cassio, 172 tons, British trawler sunk on 24 Jul 1915
- Pass of Balmaha, 1,571 tons, American windjammer taken as prize on 24 Jul 1915. See above.
- Roslin, 128 tons, British fishing vessel stopped and sunk on 24 Jul 1915
- Strathmore, 163 tons, British trawler stopped and sunk on 24 Jul 1915
External links
- http://www.worldwar1atsea.net/WW1NavyBritishQships.htm Information on British Q-ships like the HMS Prince Charles.
- http://uboat.net/wwi/types/index.html?type=U+31 Design specs and other useful information regarding U-31 type submarines.
- Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918. Great photo quality, comments in German.
- A 44 min. film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35. A German propaganda film without dead or wounded; many details about submarine warfare in World War I.
- Uboat.net: More detailed information about U-36.
- Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40Room 40In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.