Type U-43 German submarine
History
German Empire
Name U-49
Ordered 4 August 1914
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number 27
Launched 26 November 1915
Commissioned 31 May 1916
Fate Sunk with all hands by British Transport , 11 September 1917
General characteristics
Class and type Type U-43 submarine
Displacement
725 t (714 long tons ) surfaced
940 t (930 long tons) submerged
Length 65.00 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)
Height 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught 3.74 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
Propulsion 2 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 depth 50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement 36
Armament
Service record
Part of:
III Flotilla
7 August 1916 – 11 September 1917
Commanders:
Kptlt. Richard Hartmann
31 May 1916 – 11 September 1917
Operations:
6 patrols Victories:
38 merchant ships sunk (86,320 GRT )
2 merchant ships damaged (2,609 GRT )
1 merchant ship taken as prize (566 GRT )
SM U-49 [ Note 1] was the seventh U-boat of the U-43 class. She was ordered on 4 August 1914 and was put into the III Flotilla 7 August 1916. In her career she sank 38 ships for a total of 86,320 gross register tons (GRT). None was a naval ship.
Kapitänleutnant Richard Hartmann commanded U-49 throughout her career until she was sunk on 11 September 1917 in action in the Bay of Biscay . While surfaced, U-49 attacked the merchant ship British Transport , which had sailed Brest, France bound for Archangel in Russia , laden with munitions and other explosives.[citation needed ] After a gun battle lasting five hours, U-49 fired two torpedoes at British Transport . Both missed, and the merchantman then rammed and sank her at 46°17′N 14°42′W / 46.283°N 14.700°W / 46.283; -14.700 ; all hands were lost.[ 2]
It was the first time in the war that a merchant ship had sunk a U-boat. In February 1918 British Transport ' s Master , Captain AT Pope, was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order ,[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] three of her officers were awarded the DSC , seven of her crewmen were awarded the DSM and three were mentioned in dispatches .
Summary of raiding history
Date
Name
Nationality
Tonnage[ Note 2]
Fate[ 8]
28 September 1916
Benguela
Sweden
688
Sunk
28 September 1916
Emanuel
Norway
246
Sunk
29 September 1916
Haarfagre
Norway
566
Captured as prize
29 September 1916
Nornen
Norway
215
Sunk
1 November 1916
Seatonia
United Kingdom
3,533
Sunk
2 November 1916
Caswell
United Kingdom
245
Sunk
2 November 1916
Harfat Castle
United Kingdom
274
Sunk
2 November 1916
Kyoto
United Kingdom
282
Sunk
8 November 1916
Columbian
United States
8,580
Sunk
9 November 1916
Balto
Norway
3,538
Sunk
9 November 1916
Fordalen
Norway
2,835
Sunk
10 November 1916
Camma
Norway
794
Sunk
11 November 1916
Barbara
Greece
2,831
Sunk
11 November 1916
Ragnar
Denmark
2,123
Sunk
12 November 1916
Lady Carrington
United Kingdom
3,269
Sunk
12 November 1916
Leda
Netherlands
1,140
Damaged
12 November 1916
Therese
Denmark
1,333
Sunk
15 November 1916
La Briantais
France
255
Sunk
15 November 1916
Lorca
United Kingdom
4,129
Sunk
19 February 1917
Sigrid
Russian Empire
2,194
Sunk
27 February 1917
Galgorm Castle
United Kingdom
1,596
Sunk
27 February 1917
Luigino B.
Kingdom of Italy
1,971
Sunk
27 February 1917
Tritonia
United Kingdom
4,445
Sunk
3 March 1917
Newstead
United Kingdom
2,836
Sunk
3 March 1917
Sagamore
United Kingdom
5,197
Sunk
5 May 1917
Snig
Norway
2,115
Sunk
8 May 1917
Petunia
United Kingdom
1,749
Sunk
11 May 1917
Barrister
United Kingdom
3,679
Sunk
14 May 1917
Carnmoney
United Kingdom
1,299
Sunk
17 May 1917
George Pyman
United Kingdom
3,859
Sunk
1 July 1917
Stalheim
Norway
1,469
Damaged
3 July 1917
Cimbria
Denmark
234
Sunk
3 July 1917
Mary Boyes
Denmark
101
Sunk
3 July 1917
Proefneming I
Netherlands
112
Sunk
3 July 1917
Thor
Netherlands
105
Sunk
8 July 1917
Obuasi
United Kingdom
4,416
Sunk
10 July 1917
King David
United Kingdom
3,680
Sunk
12 July 1917
Muirfield
United Kingdom
3,086
Sunk
15 July 1917
Dudhope
United Kingdom
2,086
Sunk
16 July 1917
Lamia L.
Kingdom of Italy
2,220
Sunk
11 September 1917
Vienna
United Kingdom
4,170
Sunk
References
Notes
^ "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
Bibliography
Burrell, David (1992). Furness Withy 1891–1991 . Kendal: World Ship Society . pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-905617-70-3 .
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 .
Haws, Duncan (2000). Manchester Liners, Houlders, Prince and Rio Cape Lines . Merchant Fleets in Profile. Vol. 38. TCL Publications. ISBN 978-0946378395 .
Stevens, Edward F (1950). One hundred years of Houlders . London: Mendip Press for Houlder Brothers.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1917
Shipwrecks Other incidents
46°17′N 14°42′W / 46.283°N 14.700°W / 46.283; -14.700