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SM U-156

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History
German Empire
NameU-156
Ordered29 November 1916
BuilderAtlas Werke, Bremen
Launched15 April 1917
Commissioned28 August 1917
FateSunk in the Northern Barrage minefield on 25 September 1918. 77 dead.
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeGerman Type U 151 submarine
Displacement
  • 1,512 tonnes (1,488 long tons) (surfaced)
  • 1,875 tonnes (1,845 long tons) (submerged)
  • 2,272 tonnes (2,236 long tons) (total)
Length
Beam
  • 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in) (o/a)
  • 5.80 m (19 ft) (pressure hull)
Height9.25 m (30 ft 4 in)
Draught5.30 m (17 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 800 PS (590 kW; 790 bhp) (surfaced)
  • 800 PS (590 kW; 790 bhp) (submerged)
Propulsion2 × shafts, 2 × 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) propellers
Speed
  • 12.4 knots (23.0 km/h; 14.3 mph) surfaced
  • 5.2 knots (9.6 km/h; 6.0 mph) submerged
Range25,000 nmi (46,000 km; 29,000 mi) at 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h; 6.3 mph) surfaced, 65 nmi (120 km; 75 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth50 metres (160 ft)
Complement6 officers, 50 enlisted, 20 prize crew, 1 additional officer in training on 2nd cruise [2]
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
Operations: 2 patrols

SM U-156[Note 1] was a German Type U 151 U-boat commissioned in 1917 for the Imperial German Navy. From 1917 until her disappearance in September 1918 she was part of the U‑Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for sinking 44 ships and damaging three others, including a warship. She took part in the Attack on Orleans.

Background

U-156, built by the Atlas Werke in Bremen, was originally one of seven Deutschland class U-boats designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany in 1916. Five of the submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers) equipped with two 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 deck guns, including U-156. They were the largest U-boats of World War I.

Service history

U-156 was launched on 15 April 1917 and commissioned on 28 August 1917 under the experienced U-boat ace Konrad Gansser, who commanded her until March 1918, following which Richard Feldt took command until the U-156 was lost in September 1918.[3]

On 17 January 1918, Gansser's U-156 entered isolated Naos Bay in the Spanish Canary Islands. The U-156 was scheduled to meet with the U-157 and a small Spanish flagged merchant vessel in an attempt to transit prohibited materials past the British blockade to Germany. The British learned of the meeting through decoded signals and ambushed the U-156 in a failed attempt to sink the U-boat. The British submarine E48 had actually hit the U-156 with a torpedo but the torpedo had failed to explode.[4]

On 15 June 1918, U-156 sailed with 77 crew. She passed through the North Sea, negotiated the Northern Passage around the northern end of the British Isles, and out into the Atlantic Ocean where she sailed for Long Island. She then proceeded to New York Harbor, where she had been ordered to lay mines. Records show that she was to lay a field of mines in the shipping lane along the south shore of Long Island, just east of the Fire Island lightship.[5]

On 8 July 1918 U-156 stopped and scuttled the Norwegian owned Manx King at 40°05′N 52°00′W / 40.083°N 52.000°W / 40.083; -52.000, which was traveling between New York and Rio de Janeiro. Captain Rasmus Emil Halvorsen and her crew were rescued from the lifeboats after 27 hours by DS Anchites of Liverpool, England.

A mine laid by U-156 is often credited with the loss of the cruiser USS San Diego on 19 July 1918, ten miles southeast of Fire Island, New York.[5][6][7]

On 21 July 1918 U-156 opened fire on a beach and marsh within the boundaries of the American town of Orleans, Massachusetts, and several nearby merchant vessels. The bombardment of the beach may have been a case of overshooting the targeted maritime vessels. In the end, the U-156 severely damaged a tugboat and sank four barges. HS-1L flying boats and R-9 seaplanes were dispatched from the Chatham Naval Air Station and bombed the enemy raider with bombs that failed to explode. The U-156 returned fire with her deck guns in an unsuccessful attempt to down the aircraft. It was the first time in history that American aviators engaged an enemy vessel in the western Atlantic. The Attack on Orleans was the only Central Powers raid mounted against the United States mainland during World War I and the first time the Continental United States was shelled by a foreign power's artillery since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1846.[8]

U-156 had meanwhile headed north to attack the US fishing fleet. She sank 21 fishing boats in the Gulf of Maine area, from Cape Cod to the Bay of Fundy, ranging from the 72 ton schooner Nelson A. (4 August) to the 766 ton Dornfontein (2 August).[9]

U-156 has been credited with the sinking of the tanker Luz Blanca, just off the headlands of Halifax on August 5/1918.[10] On 20 August, U-156 captured the Canadian trawler Triumph southwest of Canso, Nova Scotia. They manned and armed the vessel, and used it in conjunction with the submarine to capture and sink seven other fishing boats in the Grand Banks area, before eventually scuttling her.[11]

Fate

On 25 September 1918 and in the following days, U-156 failed to report that she had cleared the Northern barrage minefield between the United Kingdom and Norway on her return voyage to Germany. U-156 is presumed to have struck a mine of the Northern Barrage during the last leg of her cruise. Prior to her arrival at the northern end of the barrage she had radioed the estimated time and exact route she planned to take through the mines. The British intercepted this message, decoded it, and sent a submarine to ambush U-156. U-156 escaped the trap by diving but likely attempted to transit the barrage while underwater. The 77 crew on board were never heard from again.[12]

Summary of raiding history

Date Captain Name Type Tonnage[Note 2] Nationality Fate[13]
7 Dec 1917 Konrad Gansser W.c. Mc Kay Sailing vessel 147  Canada sunk
15 Dec 1917 Konrad Gansser Ioannina Steamer 4,567  Greece sunk
17 Dec 1917 Konrad Gansser Acoriano Sailing vessel 312  Portugal sunk
30 Dec 1917 Konrad Gansser Joaquin Mumbru Steamer 2,703  Spain sunk
10 Jan 1918 Konrad Gansser Atlas Steamer 1,813  Netherlands sunk
8 Feb 1918 Konrad Gansser Artesia Tanker 2,762  United Kingdom sunk
8 Feb 1918 Konrad Gansser Chariton Steamer 3,023  Greece sunk
8 Feb 1918 Konrad Gansser Nuzza Sailing vessel 1,102  Italy sunk
9 Feb 1918 Konrad Gansser Atlantide Steamer 5,431  Italy sunk
26 Jun 1918 Richard Feldt Tortuguero Steamer 4,175  United Kingdom sunk
7 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt Marosa Sailing vessel 1,987  Norway sunk
8 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt Manx King Sailing vessel 1,729  Norway sunk
19 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt San Diego Armored cruiser 13,680  United States sunk
21 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt 703 Barge 934  United States sunk
21 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt 740 Barge 680  United States sunk
21 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt 766 Barge 527  United States sunk
21 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt Lansford Barge 830  United States sunk
21 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt Perth Amboy Tug 435  United States damaged
22 Jul 1918 Richard Feldt Robert & Richard Fishing vessel (sail) 140  United States sunk
2 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Dornfontein Auxiliary motor 766  Canada sunk
3 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Annie Perry Fishing vessel (sail) 116  United States sunk
3 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Muriel Fishing vessel (sail) 120  United States sunk
3 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Rob Roy Motor fishing vessel 111  United States sunk
3 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt SYDNEY B. ATWOOD 100  United States sunk
4 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Nelson A. Fishing vessel (sail) 72  United Kingdom sunk
5 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt AGNES G. HOLLAND Trawler 100  United States sunk
5 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Gladys M. Hollett Fishing vessel (Sail) 203  United Kingdom damaged
5 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Luz Blanca Tanker 4,868  Canada sunk
8 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Sydland Steamer 3,031  Sweden sunk
11 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Penistone Steamer 4,139  United Kingdom sunk
17 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt San Jose Steamer 1,586  Norway sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt A. Piatt Andrew Fishing vessel (sail) 141  United States sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Francis J. O'hara Jr. Fishing vessel (sail) 117  United States sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Lucille M. Schnare Fishing vessel (sail) 121  Canada sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Pasadena Fishing vessel (sail) 119  Canada sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Triumph Trawler 239  Canada sunk
20 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Uda A. Saunders Fishing vessel (sail) 125  Canada sunk
21 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Sylvania Fishing vessel (sail) 136  United States sunk
22 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Notre Dame De La Garde Fishing vessel (sail) 147  France sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt C. M. Walters Fishing vessel (sail) 107  Canada sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt E. B. Walters Fishing vessel (sail) 126  Canada sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Erik[14] Steamer 583  United Kingdom sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt J. J. Flaherty Fishing vessel (sail) 162  United States sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Marion Adams Fishing vessel (sail) 99  Canada sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Verna D. Adams Fishing vessel (sail) 132  Canada sunk
25 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Clayton W. Walters Fishing vessel (sail) 116  Canada sunk
26 Aug 1918 Richard Feldt Gloaming Fishing vessel (sail) 130  Canada sunk

References

Notes

  1. ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 20–21.
  2. ^ Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. p. 191. ISBN 978-1476671628. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. ^ Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. pp. 45, 57, 68–69, and 86. ISBN 978-1476671628. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. pp. 3-7 and 62–66. ISBN 978-1476671628. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b Sheard, p. 114
  6. ^ Bleyer, Bill. "The Sinking of the San Diego". Newsday. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007.
  7. ^ Larson, Christina (13 December 2018). "Scientists scour WWI shipwreck to solve military mystery". The Associated Press. "We believe that U-156 sunk San Diego," said Alexis Catsambis, an underwater archaeologist with the Navy.
  8. ^ Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. pp. 113–119. ISBN 978-1476671628. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  9. ^ Sheard, p. 117
  10. ^ Sarty, Roger (2012). War in the St. Lawrence. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Allen Lane, Penguin Canada. ISBN 978-0-670-06787-9.
  11. ^ Halpern, Paul G. (1994). A Naval History of World War I. Routledge. p. 433. ISBN 1-85728-498-4.
  12. ^ Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. pp. 164–165. ISBN 978-1476671628. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  13. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 156". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  14. ^ "ERIK: LONDON-LABRADOR 1888-1891, LONDON-LABRADOR & HUDSON BAY 1892-1900" (PDF). Manitoba Archives. Retrieved 28 November 2020. 1918, 25 August - Captain Martin surrendered his unarmed vessel after shelling by U-156; crew made prisoners and Erik sunk by time-bombs; crew of Erik taken off U-boat by schooner Willie G.; U-156 disappeared on homeward voyage to Germany.

Bibliography

  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 156". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
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