SM U-79

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-79.
Career (German Empire)
Name: U-79
Ordered: 6 January 1915
Builder: AG Vulkan, Hamburg
Yard number: 61
Launched: 31 October 1915
Commissioned: 26 January 1916
Fate: Surrendered to France, 21 November 1918[1]
Career (France)
Name: Victor Reveille
Acquired: 21 November 1918
Fate: Broken up in 1935.[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: German Type UE I submarine
Displacement: 755 tonnes (743 long tons) (surfaced)
832 tonnes (819 long tons) (submerged)
[2]
Length: 56.8 m (186 ft 4 in) (overall)[2]
46.66 m (153 ft 1 in) pressure hull[3]
Beam: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) (overall)[2]
5 m (16 ft 5 in) pressure hull[3]
Height: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)[3]
Draught: 4.86 m (15 ft 11 in)[2]
Propulsion: 900 hp (670 kW) (surfaced)
660 kW (890 hp) (submerged)[2]
Speed: 9.9 knots (18.3 km/h; 11.4 mph) (surfaced)
7.9 knots (14.6 km/h; 9.1 mph) (submerged)[2]
Range: 7,880 nmi (14,590 km; 9,070 mi) @ 7 kn (surfaced) 83 nmi (154 km; 96 mi) @ 4 kn (submerged)
Complement: 32 men[2]
Armament: One 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes forward and one 50 cm torpedo tubes aft with two torpedoes[4]
plus one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun
two minelaying tubes for 38 mines[2]
Service record
Part of: I Flottille (30 July 1916 - 11 November 1918)
Commanders: Heinrich Jeß [1]
(25 May 1916–20 February 1917)
Otto Rohrbeck [2]
(21 February–26 October 1917)
Otto Dröscher [3]
(27 October–23 November 1917)
Karl Thouret [4]
(24 November 1917–15 April 1918)
Rudolf (i.V.) Zentner [5]
(16 April–17 August 1918)
Martin Hoffmann [6]
(18–26 August 1918)
Rudolf (i.V.) Haagen [7]
(27 August–15 September 1918)
Woldemar Petri [8]
(16 September–14 October 1918)
Kurt Slevogt [9]
(15 October–11 November 1918)
Operations: 11 patrols
Victories: 21 commercial ships sunk (34,030 GRT)
2 commercial ship damaged (7,474 GRT)
1 commercial ship taken as prize (1,125 GRT)
1 warship sunk (14,300 GRT)
1 warship damaged (790 GRT)[1]

SM U-79 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) in World War I. U-79 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Contents

Operations

SM U-79 was commissioned by Kaptlt. Jess, who was replaced by Kaptlt. Rohrbeck in January 1917.[5] Rohrbeck would be replaced by Kaptlt. Stevogt.[6] U-79 came off the stocks at Hamburg (Vulcan) in 1916, and joined the Kiel School, where she is known to have been in July, and left Kiel for Wilhelmshaven about the end of July to join the 1st Half Flotilla.

Between 6 and 26 August 1916, she laid 34 mines off the south coast of Ireland.[6] She fired on a special service vessel north-west of Ireland on the night of 19 August; the torpedo missed.[6] In the period 26 September to 14 October 1916, she laid mines in the Firth of Clyde.

Patrolling off Portugal, via the English Channel, between 21 December 1916 and 28 January 1917, she sank eight steamers and one sailing ship, as well as capturing the Norwegian steamer Nanna on 24 January. On her return journey, by way of the Irish Channel,[6] U-79 compelled Nanna to take her under tow to the Danish coast,[6] likely as a result of engine damage she reported 26 January.[6]

On 1 April 1917, she departed to lay mines in Inishtrahull Sound, but could not complete her task due to engine trouble, and returned on 21 April.[6] She made three more minelaying patrols in 1917, one off the Butt of Lewis between 6 June and 4 July;[6] one in Rathlin Sound and off Inishtrahull Island,[6] between 12 September and 15 October, during which she also sank the armoured cruiser HMS Drake off Rathlin Island, 11 October, avoiding Heligoland Bight (per a 10 October general order)[7] on her return; and one between 17 and 20 December, off the Dutch coast, transiting Heligoland Bight inbound and outbound on this occasion.[6] She departed for a repeat of this mission 1 January 1918, but was forced to return 5 January due to compass trouble.[6]

She carried out training off Augustenhof Lighthouse, in the Baltic Sea, from 5 to 9 February, before departing on her next patrol,[8] to lay mines off Holland, returning 19 February, again avoiding Heligoland.[6]

British Naval Intelligence (better known as Room 40) records her at Norderney on 2 May 1918, and possibly in the Elbe on 9 November. On 21 November 1918, she was surrendered at Harwich.[6]

Original documents from Room 40

The following is a verbatim transcription of the recorded activities of SM U-79 known to British Naval Intelligence, Room 40 O.B.:[9]SM U-79.

Kaptlt. Jess, to U-96 in January 1917, Kaptlt. Rohrbeck; then Kaptlt. Stevogt. Came off the stocks at Hamburg (Vulcan) in 1916, joined the Kiel School, where she is known to have been in July, and left Kiel for Wilhelmshaven about the end of July to join the 1st Half Flotilla.

  • 6th August - 26th August 1916. Went northabout, and laid 34 mines off the S. coast of Ireland. She missed by torpedo a special service vessel N.W. of Ireland on the night of 19th of August
  • 26th September - 14th October 1916. Northabout. Laid mines in the Firth of Clyde.
  • 21st December 1916 - 28th January 1917. Went via the Channel to west of Portugal and probably went through the Irish Channel on return journey. Sank 8 S.S., 1 sailing vessel. On the 24th January captured Norwegian S.S. NANNA and made her tow her to Danish coast. On the 26th submarine reported engine damage.
  • 1st April - 21st April 1917. Northabout. Laid mines in Inishtrahull Sound, but could not complete her task owing to engine damage.
  • 6th June - 4th July 1917. Northabout. Laid mines off Butt of Lewis.
  • 12th September - 15th October 1917. Northabout. Laid mines near Inishtrahull and in Rathlin Sound. Sank H.M.S. DRAKE off Rathlin Island on the 11th October (Note. This submarine returned by the Sound, instead of the Bight, in accordance with the general order of 10th October 1917).
  • 17th December - 20th December 1917. Left by the Bight, laid mines off the Dutch coast and returned to Bight.
  • 1st January - 5th January 1918. Same as previous cruise. Returned with compass defect.
  • 5th February - 9th February 1918. Was practising at Augustenhof Lighthouse (Baltic).
  • ? 10th February - 19th February 1918. Mines off the Dutch coast. Out by Belts, back by Sound.
  • After this cruise she is mentioned as at Norderney on the 2nd May, and possibly in the Elbe on the 9th November. On the 21st November 1918 was surrendered at Harwich."

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

Koerver, Hans Joachim (2009). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being. 

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Uboat.net U-79
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Encyclopedia of U-boats (2004), London:Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-623-3, p.32
  3. ^ a b c Type UE 1 UE ocean minelayers class
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Vol. 23, p.2536.
  5. ^ Jess was transferred to U-96. National Archives.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m National Archives.
  7. ^ It's likely this was a product of British minelaying and German minesweeping efforts. National Archives.
  8. ^ Her departure date is uncertain, perhaps 10 February. National Archives.
  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)

References

External links

U-71  · U-72  · U-73  · U-74  · U-75  · U-76  · U-77  · U-78  · U-79  · U-80