Unterseeboot 28 (1913)

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U-28
Country	German Empire
Branch	Kaiserliche Marine
Type	U 27
Shipyard	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig
Ordered	February 19, 1912
Launched	August 30, 1913
Commissioned	June 26, 1914
Career
Patrols	5
Commanders	Georg-Günther Freiherr von Forstner Otto Rohrbeck Freiherr von Loe-Degenhart Georg Schmidt
Successes
39 ships sunk for a total of 93.782 tons.
Fate
Sunk September 2, 1917. 39 dead.

Unterseeboot 28 (also known as U-28) was a Type U 27 U-boat, ordered to be built on February 19, 1912, launched on August 30, 1913, from Kaiserliche Werft of Danzig, and commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine on June 26, 1914 with Georg-Günther Freiherr von Forstner in command. Frhr. v. Forstner was relieved on June 15, 1916, by Otto Rohrbeck who was in turn relieved on August 5 by Freiherr von Loe-Degenhart. On January 15, 1917, Georg Schmidt took command.

U-28 conducted four patrols, sinking 39 ships totalling 93,782 tons. Der Krieg Zur See: Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten, the official history of the U-boats of World War I, describes U-28's final patrol thusly:

On 19.9.17 August 19, 1917 U-28 left Emden for the war on shipping in the Arctic Sea. Officially confirmed newspaper reports state that, on 2.9.17 (September 2) at 1155 a.m., 85 miles NbE½E (north by east, a half east -- 16.875°) from North Cape, in position 72°34′N 27°56′E, the U-boat attacked the armed English steamer (SS) Olive Branch, 4649 t., carrying munitions from England for Arkhangelsk. Since the steamer was not sunk by a torpedo hit, U-28 came to close range to finish her with gunfire. The second shell hit the cargo of munitions, which detonated with an enormous explosion, whereby the U-boat was so badly damaged that it sank. Some men of the crew of U-28 were seen swimming, but were not picked up by the Olive Branch's lifeboats. No survivors.

Parenthetical comments added. All hands lost meant 39 dead.

A British description of the same event, Under the Black Ensign by R.S. Gwatkin-Williams, states that when the ammunition detonated, a truck carried as deck cargo was blown into the air and fell from a great height on the U-boat, sinking it. While it is not impossible that a doomed but heroic lorry wreaked vengeance for King and Country, the blast from the explosion probably laid the submarine over far enough to swamp her open hatches.

Note regarding personal names: Freiherr is a title, translated as Baron, not a first or middle name. The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin.