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Unterseeboot 9 (1910)
Encyclopedia
SM U-9 was a German
Type U 9 U-boat
. She was one of 329 submarine
s serving in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine
), and engaged in commerce war during World War I
. Her construction was ordered on 15 July 1908 and her keel was laid down by Kaiserliche Werft
in Danzig. She was launched on 22 February 1910 and commissioned on 18 April 1910.
s while submerged, the first time any submarine had succeeded in doing so.
On 1 August 1914, Kapitänleutnant Otto Weddigen
took command.
On 22 September, while patrolling the Broad Fourteens
, a region of the southern North Sea
, U-9 found a squadron of three obsolescent British Cressy-class
armoured cruisers (HMS Aboukir
, HMS Hogue
, and HMS Cressy
), (sardonically nicknamed the "Live Bait Squadron") which had been assigned to prevent German surface vessels from entering the eastern end of the English Channel
. She fired all six of her torpedoes, reloading while submerged, and sank all three in less than an hour. 1459 British sailors died. It was one of the most notable submarine actions of all time. Members of the Admiralty
who had considered submarine
s mere toys no longer expressed that opinion after this event.
On 15 October, U-9 sank the protected cruiser
HMS Hawke
.
On 12 January 1915, Johannes Spiess relieved Weddigen, and commanded U-9 until 19 April 1916. During this period, she sank 13 ships totalling 8,635 tons: 10 small fishing vessels and three British steamers (Don, Queen Wilhelmina and Serbino).
After April 1916, she was withdrawn from front-line duties to be used for training.
U-9 and the raider Emden were the only ships which Kaiser Wilhem II awarded an Iron Cross
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Type U 9 U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. She was one of 329 submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s serving in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
), and engaged in commerce war during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Her construction was ordered on 15 July 1908 and her keel was laid down by Kaiserliche Werft
Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Kaiserliche Werft Danzig was a German shipbuilding company founded in 1852, first as Königliche Werft Danzig but renamed in 1871 with the proclamation of the German Empire. Together with Kaiserliche Werft Kiel and Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven it was one of three shipyards which produced...
in Danzig. She was launched on 22 February 1910 and commissioned on 18 April 1910.
Career
On 16 July 1914 the crew of U-9 reloaded her torpedo tubeTorpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s while submerged, the first time any submarine had succeeded in doing so.
Otto Weddigen
Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...
took command.
On 22 September, while patrolling the Broad Fourteens
Broad Fourteens
thumb|200px|right|The Broad Fourteens on a map by Delisle The Broad Fourteens is an area of the southern North Sea that is fairly consistently fourteen fathoms deep...
, a region of the southern North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, U-9 found a squadron of three obsolescent British Cressy-class
Cressy class cruiser
The Cressy class cruiser was a class of six armoured cruisers launched between December 1899 and May 1901, for the Royal Navy.-Service:...
armoured cruisers (HMS Aboukir
HMS Aboukir (1900)
HMS Aboukir was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan, Scotland in 1902.-First World War:...
, HMS Hogue
HMS Hogue (1900)
HMS Hogue was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Hogue was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 on 22 September 1914.-Service history:...
, and HMS Cressy
HMS Cressy (1899)
HMS Cressy was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Cressy was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 in September 1914.-Service history:...
), (sardonically nicknamed the "Live Bait Squadron") which had been assigned to prevent German surface vessels from entering the eastern end of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. She fired all six of her torpedoes, reloading while submerged, and sank all three in less than an hour. 1459 British sailors died. It was one of the most notable submarine actions of all time. Members of the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
who had considered submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s mere toys no longer expressed that opinion after this event.
On 15 October, U-9 sank the protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
HMS Hawke
HMS Hawke (1891)
HMS Hawke, launched in 1891, was the sixth British warship to be named Hawke. She was an Edgar-class protected cruiser.-Service:...
.
On 12 January 1915, Johannes Spiess relieved Weddigen, and commanded U-9 until 19 April 1916. During this period, she sank 13 ships totalling 8,635 tons: 10 small fishing vessels and three British steamers (Don, Queen Wilhelmina and Serbino).
After April 1916, she was withdrawn from front-line duties to be used for training.
U-9 and the raider Emden were the only ships which Kaiser Wilhem II awarded an Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
.
External links
- Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918.
- A 44 min. German film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35.
- Uboat.net: More detailed information about U-9.
- Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40Room 40In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.