German U Boat - World War One

Theoretically Germanys' U-Boats could not have been effectively used against capital ships and
battleships of an enemy nation but against the economy of an enemy state.
The primary objectives of the U-boats in Germany were the merchant convoys bringing food, goods and supplies of war materials to Great Britain.

The difference between U-Boat and Submarine in the English language is well known, whereas in Germany it is unknown as U-Boat refers to any type of submarine.
At the outbreak of war in 1914, including all major navies U-boats in their fleet.
Despite this, the roles of these primitive craft were questioned by leading political and military figures.
The German exception to the submarine relegation was the Deutschland Class of Merchant U-Boats.
In addition, these submarines could carry 700 tons of cargo, travel at 12-13 knots on the surface and 7 knots submerged.
To compare, the standard submarine of World War One measured just over 200 feet in length and displaced less than 1,000 tons on the surface.
The addition of deck guns allowed U-Boats to approach merchant shipping on the surface and signal the merchant ship to stop in order to be searched.
After the search is completed, or crew was allowed to leave the ship. After U-boat that sank the merchant ship with its deck gun.
This had two beneficial roles.
First l merchant crew were unharmed and were able to leave the second precious torpedoes were not used to the ship sink.
Most of Imperial Germanys' submarines had upwards of two deck guns with a three or four-inch calibre, however later submarine types and design warranted the submarine carried larger calibres of guns.
In particular, a unique variant of the U-boat the ability to mines during covert operations dismiss enemy ports and shipping routes.
One such submarine laid one of the mines which sunk the hospital ship Britannic in 1916.


In 1914, Germany had 29 U-Boats in service.
In particular, in September 1914, U-9 sank the out-dated HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue in a single hour!

For the first months of the conflict, U-Boat anti-commerce attacks observed the prize rules of the period by which the treatment of enemy civilian ships and their occupants were staunchly upheld.
The use of surface raiders of commerce shipping was ineffective, thus in February 1915 the Kaiser assented that the waters surrounding Great Britain were to be treated as a warzone.
New instructions for U-Boat captains dictated that they could sink merchant vessels, even neutral ships, without warning.
The U.S. government has said that Germany has taken into account the possible loss of American life.
Despite this the Germany took no notice.
The age of U-boat war had begun! The most infamous sinking of a German U-boat happened in 1915.
On the 7th May 1915, U-20 torpedoed and sank RMS Lusitania.
The sinking claimed lives in 1198 of which 128 Americans.
The sinking sent shockwaves around the world and allied governments.
Furthermore, after investigations, it was confirmed that the Lusitania was carrying ammunition for the allies.


Following the indecisive action between Great Britain's navy and the Imperial German navy off Jutland in 1916, it was necessary for Germany to return to a policy of anti-commerce warfare by U-Boats.
In effect Scheer was convinced that an extreme high rate of shipping losses for the allies would force Britain to sue for peace.
4 million tons of shipping was sunk between October 1916 and January 1917.
Despite this, the political situation has since 31 deteriorated in January 1917, Germany has begun to unrestricted submarine warfare.

Unrestricted warfare was initially very successful.
Despite this, with the introduction of better defenses of shipment, the German increase in stocks and increasing losses German High Command failed strategy in order to destroy sufficient Allied shipping.


From the armistice in November 1918, Germany's armed forces surrendered.
Of the U-boats that had been built, 178 lost and sunk a total of 12,850,814 gross registered tonnage of ships.