SM U-19 (Germany)

From 1 August 1914, to 15 March 1916, U-19 was commanded by Constantin Kolbe. During this period she had the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first U-boat casualty of World War I when she was rammed by HMS Badger on 24 October 1914.^[6] Her hull was badly damaged, but she survived and was repaired.

On 22 January 1915 the Durward was near the Maas lightship when they saw U-19 on the surface. They tried to escape, but as they could only manage 12 knots they were unable to do so. The mate of Durward, who was later interviewed by the Daily Mail special correspondent in Rotterdam ^[7] related how the second officer, who spoke excellent English, had ordered them to lower a boat and come to talk to them. The captain and crew were given ten minutes to leave the ship. The mate asked the second officer whether he could return to the ship to collect his clothes. He replied "Sorry, old man, it can't be done. I am in the mercantile marine myself, having been in the North German Lloyd service but now I am doing a bit for my country." The commander of the U-boat towed the lifeboat to within 100 yards of the Maas lightship, even stopping at one stage to repair the tow when it parted, after which the crew of Durward said goodbye to the submarine and rowed to the lightship.

Kolbe was relieved by Raimund Weisbach, who had previously served as torpedo officer on U-20 and had (on Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger's orders) launched the torpedo that sank RMS Lusitania. During his brief command, Weisbach carried out an unusual mission: he delivered the revolutionary Roger Casement and two other agents to Banna Strand in Ireland in hopes that they would foment an uprising that would distract the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from World War I.

Weisbach was relieved on 11 August 1916, by Johannes Spiess, who was relieved in turn on 1 June 1917, by Heinrich Koch. Koch turned the boat over on 25 October 1917, to Hans Albrecht Liebeskind, who commanded for less than a month before being relieved on 17 November 1917, by Spiess again. On 1 June 1918, Liebeskind took over again and commanded U-19 until the end of the war.

U-19 conducted 12 patrols, sinking 58 ships totalling 99,182 combined tons, including Santa Maria (5,383 GRT) off Lough Swilly on 25 February 1918, Tiberia (4,880 GRT) off Black Head near Larne on 26 February 1918, and HMS Calgarian (12,515 GRT) off Rathlin Island on 1 March 1918.

On 11 November 1918, U-19 was surrendered to the British, and was broken up at Blyth sometime in 1919 or 1920.

The main gun of U19 was donated to the people of Bangor, Co. Down and today sits near the War Memorial in the town's Ward Park. It was donated by the Admiralty in recognition of the valorous conduct of Commander The Hon. Edward Bingham whilst on board HMS Nestor while fighting in the Battle of Jutland in July 1916, for which he received the Victoria Cross.

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