SM U-111

SM U-111 at sea, 1919
History
German Empire
Name:	U-111
Ordered:	5 May 1916
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number:	280
Launched:	5 September 1917
Commissioned:	30 December 1917
Fate:	Surrendered to the USA 20 November 1918
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:	German Type U 93 submarine
Displacement:	798 t (785 long tons) surfaced 996 t (980 long tons) submerged
Length:	71.55 m (234 ft 9 in) (o/a) 56.05 m (183 ft 11 in) (pressure hull)
Beam:	6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) (o/a) 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught:	3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)
Installed power:	2 × 2,300 PS (1,692 kW; 2,269 shp) surfaced 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion:	2 shafts, 2 × 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) propellers
Speed:	16.4 knots (30.4 km/h; 18.9 mph) surfaced 8.4 knots (15.6 km/h; 9.7 mph) submerged
Range:	8,300 nmi (15,400 km; 9,600 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement:	4 officers, 32 enlisted
Armament:	6 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) 12-16 torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy: IV Flotilla Unknown start – 11 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans Beyersdorff[2] 30 December 1917 – 11 November 1918
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	3 merchant ship sunk (3,011 GRT)

SM U-111^{[Note 1]} was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.^[3] She was the only submarine which had a clergyman on board (Wilhelm Meinhold, Marinepfarrer).

Completed at Kiel early in January 1918, she went to the Kiel School for shakedown and training until March, when she joined 4. Flottille.^[4] She was monitored continuously by British Naval Intelligence (Room 30), on which her movement reports are based. All her operations took place in 1918.

Service history

She departed 26 March on her first war patrol, operating in the Irish Sea and western entrance to the English Channel, sinking two steamers and returning to Kiel and 23 April.^[5] Her second patrol began 27 May, sailing from Heligoland Bight via Muckle Flugga to the western English Channel. She sank at least one confirmed steamer, and returned the same way, arriving 24 June.^[6] Her third patrol, between 25 August and 29 September, was via Fastnet and Scillies into the Irish Sea, where she was hampered by British A/S patrols and obtained no sinkings.^[7]

U-111 surrendered at Harwich 20 November, after the Armistice.^[8]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 2]	Fate[9]
7 April 1918	Boscastle	United Kingdom	2,346	Sunk
28 May 1918	Dronning Margrethe	Denmark	393	Sunk
22 June 1918	Rana	Norway	272	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. 12-14.
2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Beyersdorff". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 111". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
4. Koerver.
5. Koerver.
6. Koerver.
7. Koerver.
8. Koerver.
9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 111". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

Bibliography

• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
• Spindler, Arno (1966) [1932]. 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 978-0-241-10864-2.
• Halpern, Paul G. (1995). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85728-498-0.
• Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-5963-7.
• Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-6235-4.
• 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

• 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.
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 111". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
• Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.