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.
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | U-50 |
| Ordered | 4 August 1914 |
| Builder | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Yard number | 28 |
| Launched | 31 December 1915 |
| Commissioned | 4 July 1916 |
| Fate | Sunk probably by a mine off Terschelling on or after 31 August 1917 [1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type | Type U-43 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a) |
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 36 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 5 patrols |
| Victories: | 27 merchant ships sunk (92,924 GRT) |
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
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 November 1916 | Bogota |  United Kingdom | 4,577 | Sunk |
| 11 November 1916 | Løkken |  Norway | 1,954 | Sunk |
| 11 November 1916 | Morazan | United Kingdom | 3,486 | Sunk |
| 11 November 1916 | Sarah Radcliffe | United Kingdom | 3,333 | Sunk |
| 12 November 1916 | San Giovanni |  Kingdom of Italy | 1,315 | Sunk |
| 12 November 1916 | Stylinai Bebis |  Greece | 3,603 | Sunk |
| 12 November 1916 | Ioannis | Greece | 3,828 | Sunk |
| 13 November 1916 | Lela | Kingdom of Italy | 2,987 | Sunk |
| 14 November 1916 | Hatsuse | United Kingdom | 282 | Sunk |
| 18 February 1917 | Jean Pierre |  France | 449 | Sunk |
| 22 February 1917 | Blenheim | Norway | 1,144 | Sunk |
| 24 February 1917 | Falcon | United Kingdom | 2,244 | Sunk |
| 25 February 1917 | Aries | United Kingdom | 3,071 | Sunk |
| 25 February 1917 | Huntsman | United Kingdom | 7,460 | Sunk |
| 25 February 1917 | Laconia | United Kingdom | 18,099 | Sunk |
| 11 April 1917 | Sarvsfos | Norway | 1,462 | Sunk |
| 19 April 1917 | Avocet | United Kingdom | 1,219 | Sunk |
| 20 April 1917 | Emma | United Kingdom | 2,520 | Sunk |
| 21 April 1917 | Diadem | United Kingdom | 4,307 | Sunk |
| 23 April 1917 | Dykland | United Kingdom | 4,291 | Sunk |
| 23 April 1917 | Oswald | United Kingdom | 5,185 | Sunk |
| 25 April 1917 | Swanmore | United Kingdom | 6,373 | Sunk |
| 7 June 1917 | Yuba | Norway | 1,458 | Sunk |
| 11 June 1917 | Sigrun | Norway | 2,538 | Sunk |
| 16 June 1917 | Carrie Hervey | United Kingdom | 111 | Sunk |
| 21 June 1917 | Ortona | United Kingdom | 5,524 | Sunk |
| 26 June 1917 | Vonin |  Denmark | 104 | Sunk |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 50". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
edit- 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.