SM U-65
|
| Career (German Empire) |
|
| Name: |
U-65 |
| Ordered: |
17 May 1915 |
| Builder: |
Germaniawerft, Kiel (Werk 248) |
| Laid down: |
4 June 1915 |
| Launched: |
21 March 1916 |
| Commissioned: |
11 May 1916 |
| Fate: |
28 Oct 1918 - Scuttled at Pola in position 44.52N, 13.50E during the evacuation from there.[1] |
| General characteristics |
| Class and type: |
German Type U 63 submarine |
| Type: |
U-63 |
| Displacement: |
808 tons (surfaced)
946 tons (submerged)
1160 tons (total) |
| Length: |
68.36 m (overall)
55.55 m (pressure hull) |
| Beam: |
6.30 m (overall)
4.15 m (pressure hull) |
| Draught: |
4.04 m |
| Depth: |
~50 m (164 feet) |
| Propulsion: |
2400 hp (surfaced)
1200 hp (submerged) |
| Speed: |
16.5 kn (sf) 9.0 kn(sm) |
| Range: |
9170 @ 8 kn (sf) 60 @ 5 kn(sm) |
| Complement: |
39 men |
| Armament: |
6 torpedoes (4/2 in bow/stern tubes)
88mm deck gun with 276 rounds[2] |
|
| Service record |
| Part of: |
Imperial German Navy |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Hermann von Fischel [1]
11 May 1916 - 18 Jul 1918
Gustav Sieß [2]
19 Jul 1918 - 29 Sep 1918
Clemens Wickel [3]
30 Sep 1918 - 28 Oct 1918
|
| Operations: |
11 patrols
48 ships sunk for a total of 76,774 tons. 2 ships damaged for a total of 7,860 tons.[3]
|
SM U-65 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in World War I. U-65 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
Operations
U-65. Kaptlt. von Fiachal. On completion at Kiel did trials at Kiel School about May and June 1916, afterwards proceeding to the North Sea to join 4th Flotilla.
- ? 11–14 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
- 16–24 July 1916. North Sea patrol.
- 3–4 September 1916. North Sea patrol. Returned with defects.
- 26 October - 19 November 1916. To Mediterranean, northabout. Engaged by armed yacht Valiant II in 35°55'N., 3°57'W. Sank nothing. On arrival at Cattaro joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.
- 28 November – 7 December 1916. Left Cattaro and on 1 December probably sank a steamer. On 4 December sank British SS Caledonia in 35°40'N., 17°4'E. The submarine was badly rammed by Caledonia and appears to have returned home immediately on the surface.
- 29 March - 19/20 April 1917. In western Mediterranean sank 4 S.S., 5 sailing vessels (13,000 tons).
- 14 May - 9 June 1917. Possible cruise of U-65. After leaving Cattaro submarine damaged cruiser Dartmouth by torpedo on 15 May in 41°11'N., 18°15'E. She then sank 7 steamers and 12 sailing vessels in the central Mediterranean. 6 June, she was reported off Cape Passaro, 7 June in the vicinity of Straits of Messina, and 8 June was possibly attacked by seaplane in 39°4'N., 19°E.
- The next cruise of U-65 which can be reconstructed with probability was from 10 January to 31 January or 1 February 1918. On this cruise she sank 2 steamers and 1 sailing vessel, and was twice attacked from the air and once by depth-charged by Campanula, which she missed by torpedo.
- A later possible cruise was for about the first 3 weeks of September 1918, on which she sank 4 steamers and damaged 4 more, between longitudes 8° and 17°E.
- At the end of October 1918 she was scuttled[4] by the Germans at Pola or Cattaro.
See also
Notes
- ^ Ubaot.net U-65
- ^ Uboat.net Type 63 retrieved 1/14/10
- ^ Uboat.net U-65
- ^ NA, HW 7/3, p.230, states U-65 was "blown up". Handelskrieg, Vol 5, p.227, names 10 submarines, including U-65, which were all in a state beyond repair and were destroyed at the evacuation of the Austrian submarine bases: "... some of them were blown up in their bases, some were scuttled at sea in the vicinity of their bases." Uboat.net says she was "scuttled", but gives no source or reference for this.
References
- Spindler, Arno (1932,1933,1934,1941/1964,1966). 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 978-0241108642.
- Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1857284980.
- Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3763759637.
- Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3763762354.
- 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