SM U-65 (Germany)

SM U-65^{[Note 1]} was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-65 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Operations

U-65. Kaptlt. Hermann von Fischel. On completion at Kiel did trials at Kiel School about May and June 1916, afterwards proceeding to the North Sea to join 4th Flotilla.

• ? 11–14 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
• 16–24 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
• 17–21 August 1916. North Sea patrol, attacked minesweeper Haldon 20 August.
• 3–4 September 1916. North Sea patrol. Returned with defects.
• 26 October – 19 November 1916. To Mediterranean, northabout. Engaged by armed yacht Valiant II in 35°55′N 3°57′W / 35.917°N 3.950°W / 35.917; -3.950. Sank nothing. On arrival at Cattaro joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.
• 28 November – 7 December 1916. Left Cattaro and on 1 December probably sank a steamer. On 4 December sank British SS Caledonia in 35°40′N 17°04′E / 35.667°N 17.067°E / 35.667; 17.067. The submarine was badly rammed by Caledonia and appears to have returned home immediately on the surface.
• 17 February 1917. Sank troopship SS Athos (12,644 tons). 754 casualties.
• 29 March – 19/20 April 1917. In western Mediterranean sank 4 steamships, 5 sailing vessels (13,000 tons).
• 14 May – 9 June 1917. Possible cruise of U-65. After leaving Cattaro submarine damaged cruiser HMS Dartmouth by torpedo on 15 May in 41°11′N 18°15′E / 41.183°N 18.250°E / 41.183; 18.250. She then sank 7 steamers and 12 sailing vessels in the central Mediterranean. 6 June, she was reported off Cape Passaro, 7 June in the vicinity of Straits of Messina, and 8 June was possibly attacked by seaplane in 39°4′N 19°00′E / 39.067°N 19.000°E / 39.067; 19.000.
• The next cruise of U-65 which can be reconstructed with probability was from 10 to 31 January or 1 February 1918. On this cruise she sank 2 steamers and 1 sailing vessel, and was twice attacked from the air and once by depth-charged by Campanula, which she missed by torpedo.
• A later possible cruise was for about the first 3 weeks of September 1918, on which she sank 4 steamers and damaged 4 more, between longitudes 8° and 17°E.
• At the end of October 1918 she was scuttled^[9] by the Germans at Pola or Cattaro.

Summary of raiding history

See also

• Room 40
• Anti-submarine warfare
• U-boat Campaign (World War I)

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 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hermann von Fischel". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Gustav Sieß". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Clemens Wickel". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
8. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
9. NA, HW 7/3, p.230, states U-65 was "blown up". Handelskrieg, Vol 5, p.227, names 10 submarines, including U-65, which were all in a state beyond repair and were destroyed at the evacuation of the Austrian submarine bases: "... some of them were blown up in their bases, some were scuttled at sea in the vicinity of their bases." Uboat.net says she was "scuttled", but gives no source or reference for this.
10. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

Bibliography

• 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.
• Spindler, Arno (1966) [1932]. Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten. 5 Vols. Berlin: Mittler & Sohn. Vols. 4+5, dealing with 1917+18, are very hard to find: Guildhall Library, London, has them all, also Vol. 1-3 in an English translation: The submarine war against commerce.
• Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918. London: H Hamilton. ISBN 978-0-241-10864-2.
• Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85728-498-0.
• Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-5963-7.
• Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-6235-4.
• Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol I., The Fleet in Action. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-76-3.
• Koerver, Hans Joachim (2009). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-77-0.

External links

• Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918.
• A 44 min. German film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35.
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 65". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
• Room 40: Archived 15 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.