SM U-9
 U-9 ready for patrol.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | U-9 |
| Ordered | 15 July 1908 |
| Builder | Danzig |
| Cost | 2,140,000 Goldmark |
| Yard number | 4 |
| Launched | 22 February 1910 |
| Commissioned | 18 April 1910 |
| Fate | Surrendered 26 November 1918. Broken up at Morecambe in 1919. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | German Type U 9 submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 7.05 m (23 ft 2 in) |
| Draught | 3.13 m (10 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 dinghy |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 7 patrols |
| Victories: | |
| Awards: | Iron Cross |
SM U-9 was a
Type U 9 U-boat. She was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy, and engaged in commerce raiding (Handelskrieg) during World War I
.
Construction
Her construction was ordered on 15 July 1908 and her
Danzig. She was launched on 22 February 1910 and commissioned
on 18 April 1910.
Design
U-9 had an
pressure hull was 48 m (157 ft 6 in) long. The boat's beam was 6 m (19 ft 8 in) (o/a), while the pressure hull measured 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in). She had a draught of 3.13 m (10 ft 3 in) with a total height of 7.05 m (23 ft 2 in). The boat displaced 493 t (485 long tons) when surfaced and 611 t (601 long tons) when submerged.[3]
U-9 was fitted with two
kW; 986 bhp) for use on the surface and two Siemens-Schuckert double-acting electric motors plus two electric motors with a total of 1,160 PS (853 kW; 1,144 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, each with a 1.45 m (4.8 ft) propeller, which gave the boat a top surface speed of 14.2 knots (26.3 km/h; 16.3 mph), and 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface, and 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) under water. Diving depth was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).[3]
The U-boat was armed with four 50 cm (20 in)
bow and two in the stern, and carried 6 torpedoes. Originally, the boat was equipped with a machine gun, which was augmented with a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun when war broke out in 1914. In 1915, an additional 5 cm (2.0 in) gun was fitted. When U-9 underwent a major refit in 1916, two mine-laying rails were added, which were later removed again. The boat's complement was 4 officers and 31 enlisted.[3]
Service history
On 16 July 1914, the crew of U-9 reloaded her
Admiralty who had considered submarines mere toys no longer expressed that opinion after this event.[5]
On 15 October, U-9 sank the protected cruiser HMS Hawke. On 12 January 1915, Johannes Spieß relieved Weddigen, and commanded U-9 until 19 April 1916. During this period, she sank 13 ships totalling 8,635 GRT: 10 small fishing vessels and three British steamers (Don, Queen Wilhelmina and Serbino).
After April 1916, she was withdrawn from front-line duties to be used for training.
U-9 and the raider
Kaiser Wilhelm II awarded the Iron Cross
.
.jpg)
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1914 | HMS Aboukir |  United Kingdom
|
12,000 | Sunk |
| 22 September 1914 | HMS Cressy | United Kingdom
|
12,000 | Sunk |
| 22 September 1914 | HMS Hogue | United Kingdom
|
12,000 | Sunk |
| 15 October 1914 | HMS Hawke | United Kingdom
|
7,350 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Bob White |  United Kingdom
|
191 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Coquet | United Kingdom
|
176 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Hector | United Kingdom
|
179 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Hero | United Kingdom
|
173 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Iolanthe | United Kingdom
|
179 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Northward Ho | United Kingdom
|
180 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1915 | Progress | United Kingdom
|
273 | Sunk |
| 4 May 1915 | Rugby | United Kingdom
|
205 | Sunk |
| 5 May 1915 | Straton | United Kingdom
|
198 | Sunk |
| 6 May 1915 | Merrie Islington | United Kingdom
|
147 | Sunk |
| 8 May 1915 | Don | United Kingdom
|
939 | Sunk |
| 8 May 1915 | Queen Wilhelmina | United Kingdom
|
3,590 | Sunk |
| 16 August 1915 | Serbino | United Kingdom
|
2,205 | Sunk |
| 5 November 1915 | Dagö (n.4) |  Imperial Russian Navy
|
1,080 | Sunk |
Notes
- gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Otto Weddigen (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ 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 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Gröner 1991, pp. 4–5.
- ^ "Sinking of HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue by U-9". World War 1 Naval Combat. Retrieved 27 May 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-78076-838-0. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 9". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
Bibliography
- Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914–1918. London: H Hamilton. ISBN 978-0-241-10864-2.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, "U-Boats (1905–18), Volume 23, p. 2534. London: Phoebus Publishing, 1978.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-1-85728-498-0.
- 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.
- Rössler, Eberhard (1985). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkriegs, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935–1945 [The German Submarines and Their Shipyards: Submarine Construction Until the End of the First World War] (in German). Vol. I. Koblenz: ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- Room 40: Archived 15 October 2018 at the The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 9". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 27 May 2007.