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SM U-28 (Germany)

Coordinates: 72°34′N 27°56′E / 72.567°N 27.933°E / 72.567; 27.933
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File:Eerste Wereldoorlog, SFA002004958.jpg
SM U-28 sinking the SS Falaba

SM U-28[lower-alpha 1] was a Type U 27 U-boat that served in the First World War. It conducted 5 patrols, sinking 40 ships totalling 90,126 GRT.

Career

U-28 was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 26 June 1914, with Freiherr Georg-Günther von Forstner (1882-1940) in command.[1] Commander von Forstner was relieved on 15 June 1916 by Otto Rohrbeck, who was in turn relieved on 5 August by Freiherr von Loe-Degenhart. On 15 January 1917, Georg Schmidt took command.

On 30 July 1915, U-28 sank the British steamer Iberian. According to Commander von Forstner's account of the incident, the wreckage remained under the water for about 25 seconds until an explosion sent some of the debris flying up. It is said that along with the debris, a creature described as a "gigantic aquatic animal" resembling a crocodile was seen, which quickly disappeared from sight.[2]

Sinking

U-28's final patrol began on 19 August 1917, when it departed from Emden for the Arctic Ocean. On 2 September, at 11:55 am, it encountered the armed English steamer Olive Branch, 85 nautical miles (157 km; 98 mi) north-by-northeast of North Cape, Norway. U-28 scored a torpedo hit, and closed in to finish the steamer with gunfire. The shells detonated Olive Branch's cargo of munitions, which it had been carrying from England to Arkhangelsk, Russia, and the subsequent explosion so badly damaged the nearby U-boat that it sank along with the steamer. All 39 of its crew were lost; some were seen swimming, but were not picked up by Olive Branch's lifeboats.[3]

An alternative description of the event states that when the ammunition detonated, a truck carried as deck cargo was blown into the air and fell from a great height on the U-boat, sinking it.[4]

Summary of raiding history

Date Name Nationality Tonnage[lower-alpha 2] Fate[5]
17 March 1915 Leeuwarden File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 990 Sunk
18 March 1915 Zaanstrom File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1,657 Captured as prize
18 March 1915 Batavier V File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1,569 Captured as prize
25 March 1915 Medea File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1,235 Sunk
27 March 1915 Aguila File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2,114 Sunk
27 March 1915 South Point File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,837 Sunk
27 March 1915 Vosges File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 1,295 Sunk
28 March 1915 Falaba File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4,806 Sunk
28 March 1915 City Of Cambridge File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,788 Damaged
29 March 1915 Flaminian File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,500 Sunk
29 March 1915 Theseus File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 6,723 Damaged
30 March 1915 Crown of Castile File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4,505 Sunk
30 July 1915 Iberian File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 5,223 Sunk
31 July 1915 Nugget File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 405 Sunk
31 July 1915 Turquoise File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 486 Sunk
1 August 1915 Benvorlich File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,381 Sunk
1 August 1915 Clintonia File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,830 Sunk
1 August 1915 Koophandel File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 1,736 Sunk
1 August 1915 Ranza File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2,320 Sunk
2 August 1915 HMS Portia Template:Navy 494 Sunk
3 August 1915 Costello File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 1,591 Sunk
4 August 1915 Midland Queen File:Canadian Red Ensign (1868–1921).svg Canada 1,993 Sunk
26 March 1916 Norne File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 1,224 Sunk
28 March 1916 Rio Tiete File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,042 Sunk
30 March 1916 Trewyn File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,084 Sunk
30 March 1916 Saint Hubert File:Flag of France.svg France 232 Sunk
31 March 1916 Vigo Template:Flagcountry 1,137 Sunk
1 April 1916 Bengairn File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2,127 Sunk
29 May 1917 Fridtjof Nansen File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 2,190 Sunk
29 May 1917 Karna File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 210 Sunk
29 May 1917 Kodan File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 217 Sunk
3 June 1917 Merioneth File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,004 Sunk
4 June 1917 Algol Template:Flagcountry 2,088 Sunk
5 June 1917 Alaska File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 90 Sunk
5 June 1917 Duen File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 30 Sunk
5 June 1917 Sydkap File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 40 Sunk
8 June 1917 Manchester Engineer File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4,465 Damaged
8 June 1917 Sverre II File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 44 Sunk
10 June 1917 Marie Elsie File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2,615 Sunk
10 June 1917 Perla File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 5,355 Sunk
28 August 1917 Hidalgo File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4,271 Sunk
28 August 1917 Whitecourt File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3,680 Sunk
28 August 1917 Marselieza Template:Flagcountry 3,568 Sunk
1 September 1917 Dront Template:Flagcountry 3,488 Sunk
2 September 1917 Olive Branch File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4,649 Sunk

See also

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. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Forstner
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).Template:Fix/category[permanent dead link]
  3. ↑ Spindler, Arno (1932). Der Krieg zur See: Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten. Mittler.
  4. ↑ Gwatkin-Williams, R. S. (1922). Under the Black Ensign. Hutchinson & Co.
  5. ↑ Template:Cite Uboat.net

Bibliography

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External links

Template:Type U-27 submarines Template:September 1917 shipwrecks

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