Unterseeboot 39 (1915)

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Career (German Empire)

Name:	U-39
Ordered:	June 12, 1912
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid down:	March 27, 1913
Launched:	September 26, 1914
Commissioned:	January 13, 1915
Fate:	Surrendered March 22, 1919.
Class and type:	U 31

Service record
Part of	II Flottille, Kaiserliche Marine
Commanders	Hans Kratzsch Walther Forstmann Heinrich Metzger
Operations	19
Victories	157 ships sunk for a total of 413.486 tons. 6 ships damaged for a total of 25.158 tons. 1 warship sunk for a total of 1.290 tons.

Unterseeboot 39 (also known as U-39) was a German Type U 31 U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the second most successful u-boat participating in the war sinking 157 ships sunk for a total of 404.478 tons.

Its longest serving captain was Walther Forstmann, who was awarded the Pour le Mérite during command on U-39.

From January to the summer of 1917 Martin Niemoller served as U 39's Coxswain. He is known as the author of the poem "First they came" which is enscribed at the New England Holocaust Museum. As an enemy of the Reich he was imprisoned from 1938-1945 in Sachenhausen and Dachau. By contrast in 1917 and 1918 Karl Donitz served as watch officer on this boat. He would later become Grand Admiral and Commander in Chief of the German Navy. Although he refused to join the Nazi party, adolf hitler would name Admiral Donitz the 4th. President of Germany on commiting suicide. Admiral donitz presided over the surrender of German forces and served as President for only three weeks. He was tried at Nuremberg and served 10 years at Spandau prison.

[edit] Fate

On May 18, 1918 U-39 was interned at Cartagena, Spain after being damaged by Allied escorts and aircraft that same day. Later it was surrendered to France on March 22, 1919 and was broken up at Toulon in 1923.

[edit] References

Eberhard Rössler: Geschichte des deutschen U-Bootbaus - Band 1. Bernhard & Graefe Verlag 1996, ISBN 3-86047-153-8
Bodo Herzog: Deutsche U-Boote 1906-1966. Manfred Pawlak Verlags GmbH, Herrschingen 1990, ISBN 3-88199-687-7