SM U-19 (Germany)

SM U-19 (first row, second from the right)
History
Germany
Name:	U-19
Ordered:	25 November 1910
Builder:	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Cost:	2,450,000 Goldmark
Yard number:	13
Laid down:	20 October 1911
Launched:	10 October 1912
Commissioned:	6 July 1913
Fate:	Surrendered 24 November 1918.
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type U 19 submarine
Displacement:	650 t (640 long tons) surfaced 837 t (824 long tons) submerged
Length:	64.15 m (210 ft 6 in)
Beam:	6.10 m (20 ft 0 in)
Height:	7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught:	3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × MAN 8-cylinder two stroke diesel motors with 1,700 PS (1,677 bhp; 1,250 kW) 2 × AEG double modyn with 1,200 PS (1,184 shp; 883 kW) 320 rpm submerged
Speed:	15.4 knots (28.5 km/h; 17.7 mph) surfaced 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) submerged
Range:	9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 8 kn surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 5 kn submerged
Test depth:	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Boats & landing craft carried:	1 dingi
Complement:	4 officers, 31 men
Armament:	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 gun (from 1916 2 ×) 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 gun (from 1917) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy III Flottille 1 August 1914 – 19 September 1916 Baltic Flotilla 19 September 1916 - 1 May 1917 III Flottille 1 May 1917 – 11 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Constantin Kolbe[1] 1 August 1914 – 15 March 1916 Kptlt. Raimund Weisbach[2] 16 March – 10 August 1916 Oblt.z.S. Johannes Spiess[3] 11 August 1916 – 4 July 1917 Lt.z.S. Heinrich Koch[4] 5 July 1917 – 15 October 1917 Oblt.z.S. Hans Albrecht Liebeskind[5] 25 October – 16 November 1917 Kptlt. Johannes Spiess 17 November 1917 – 31 May 1918 Oblt.z.S. Hans Albrecht Liebeskind 1 June – 11 November 1918
Operations:	12 patrols
Victories:	57 merchant ships (97,921 GRT) 3 merchant ships damaged (4,224 GRT) 1 merchant ship taken as a prize (733 GRT) 3 auxiliary warships sunk (13,220 GRT)

SM U-19 was a German Type U 19 U-boat built for the Imperial German Navy. Her construction was ordered on 25 November 1910, and her keel was laid down on 20 October 1911, at the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. She was launched on 10 October 1912, and commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 6 July 1913.

Service

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 the 22nd of January 1915 the Durward was near the Maas lightship when they saw the U19 on the surface. They tried to escape, but as they could only manage 12 knots they were unable to do so. The mate of the Durward, who was later interviewed by the Daily Mail's 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 the 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 Johannes Spiess again. On 1 June 1918, Hans Albrecht Liebeskind took over again and commanded U-19 until the end of the war.

U-19 conducted 12 patrols, sinking 46 ships totalling 64,816 tons, including Santa Maria (5,383 tons) off Lough Swilly on 25 February 1918, Tiberia (4,880 tons) off Black Head near Larne on 26 February 1918, and HMS Calgarian (17,500 tons) off Rathlin Island on 1 March 1918.

Fate

U-19's gun today

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 valorious 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.

To commemorate the centenary of the arrest of Roger Casement, an Irish Republican floral tribute, known as an Easter Lily, was left at the base of the gun on Good Friday morning 2016.^[8]

Original documents from Room 40

The following is a verbatim transcription of the recorded activities of SM U-19 known to British Naval Intelligence (better known as Room 40) during 1914-1918:^[9]

Note: S.S. = Steam Ship; S.V. = Sailing Vessel; northabout, Muckle Flugga, Fair I. = around Scotland; Sound, Belts, Kattegat = via North of Denmark to/from German Baltic ports; Bight = to/from German North Sea ports; success = sinking of ships

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate[10]
21 January 1915	Durward	United Kingdom	1,301	Sunk
2 June 1915	Salvador	Denmark	165	Sunk
3 June 1915	Chrysoprasus	United Kingdom	119	Sunk
3 June 1915	Dogberry	United Kingdom	214	Sunk
3 June 1915	Ena May	United Kingdom	90	Sunk
3 June 1915	Iona	United Kingdom	3,344	Sunk
3 June 1915	Kathleen	United Kingdom	92	Sunk
3 June 1915	Strathbran	United Kingdom	163	Sunk
4 June 1915	Cortes	United Kingdom	174	Sunk
4 June 1915	Dunnet Head	United Kingdom	343	Sunk
4 June 1915	Ebenezer	United Kingdom	113	Sunk
4 June 1915	Evening Star	United Kingdom	120	Sunk
4 June 1915	Explorer	United Kingdom	156	Sunk
4 June 1915	Petrel	United Kingdom	182	Sunk
5 June 1915	Adolf	Russian Empire	169	Sunk
5 June 1915	Bardolph	United Kingdom	215	Sunk
5 June 1915	Curlew	United Kingdom	134	Sunk
5 June 1915	Gazehound	United Kingdom	138	Sunk
5 June 1915	Persimon	United Kingdom	255	Sunk
5 June 1915	Star of the West	United Kingdom	197	Sunk
6 June 1915	Japonica	United Kingdom	145	Sunk
6 June 1915	Dromio	United Kingdom	208	Sunk
9 June 1915	Svein Jarl	Norway	1,135	Sunk
11 June 1915	Otago	Sweden	1,410	Sunk
11 June 1915	Plymouth	United Kingdom	165	Sunk
11 June 1915	Waago	United Kingdom	154	Sunk
16 July 1915	Cameo	United Kingdom	172	Damaged
21 April 1916	Feliciana	United Kingdom	4,283	Sunk
22 April 1916	Jozsef Agost Foherzeg	Kingdom of Italy	2,680	Sunk
22 April 1916	Ross	United Kingdom	2,666	Sunk
23 April 1916	Parisiana	United Kingdom	4,763	Sunk
23 April 1916	Ribston	United Kingdom	3,048	Sunk
25 April 1916	Carmanian	Norway	1,840	Sunk
12 September 1916	Elizabeth	Imperial Russian Navy	4,444	Sunk
12 September 1916	Ije (N-18)	Imperial Russian Navy	1,261	Sunk
22 September 1916	Kennett	United Kingdom	1,679	Sunk
12 May 1917	Wirral	United Kingdom	4,207	Sunk
17 May 1917	Vesterland	Sweden	3,832	Sunk
20 May 1917	Arnfinn Jarl	Norway	1,097	Sunk
26 May 1917	Norway	Norway	1,447	Sunk
27 May 1917	Debora	Denmark	159	Sunk
20 June 1917	Fido	Norway	1,459	Sunk
21 June 1917	Black Head	United Kingdom	1,898	Sunk
21 June 1917	Laatefos	Norway	1,458	Sunk
22 June 1917	Bolette	Norway	1,431	Sunk
31 August 1917	Miniota	United Kingdom	6,422	Sunk
1 September 1917	Akaroa	Norway	1,348	Sunk
12 September 1917	Agricola	United Kingdom	65	Sunk
28 December 1917	Maxton	United Kingdom	5,094	Sunk
28 December 1917	Santa Amalia	United Kingdom	4,309	Sunk
2 January 1918	Nadejda	Russian Empire	3,849	Sunk
25 February 1918	Santa Maria	United States	5,383	Sunk
25 February 1918	Appalachee	United Kingdom	3,767	Damaged
26 February 1918	Tiberia	United Kingdom	4,880	Sunk
1 March 1918	HMS Calgarian	Royal Navy	12,515	Sunk
1 March 1918	Thomas Collard	United Kingdom	215	Sunk
1 March 1918	Lord Lister	United Kingdom	285	Damaged
6 April 1918	Sterne	Netherlands	108	Sunk
21 April 1918	Delta A	Belgium	241	Sunk
23 April 1918	Peregrine	United Kingdom	79	Sunk
23 April 1918	Tyne Wave	United Kingdom	121	Sunk
25 April 1918	Hollandia I	Netherlands	733	Captured as a prize

References

Notes

1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Constantin Kolbe". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Raimund Weisbach". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johannes Spiess (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Heinrich Koch". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Albrecht Liebeskind". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
6. Preston 1977, p. 29
7. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000452/19150123/149/0006
8. Belfast Newsletter Tuesday 29 March 2016
9. National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914-1918 (Published below - Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918)
10. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 19". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

Further reading

• Preston, Antony (1977). Destroyers (1977 ed.). Hamlyn. ISBN 9780600329558. - Total pages: 224
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 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. (1919). 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. 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.
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 19". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
• Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.