During the First World War, U-boats of the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) and the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) sank over 6,000 Allied and neutral ships totaling over 14,200,000 tons.[1] Many additional ships that are not included in those totals were damaged, but were able to return to service after repairs. This list contains the approximately 100 ships over 10,000 tons that were either damaged or sunk by U-boats by torpedoes, submarine-laid mines, gunfire, or other means.[Note 1]
List
Ships listed are presented in descending order on the tonnage figure. Those that were damaged are indicated with an asterisk after their names. Three ships—Justicia, Celtic, and Southland—appear on the list twice. Justicia was damaged by UB-64 on 19 July 1918 and sunk while under tow the following day by UB-124.[2] Celtic was damaged by U-80 and UB-77 in separate incidents in February 1917 and March 1918, respectively.[3] Southland was seriously damaged by UB-14 in September 1915 and sunk by SM U-70 in June 1917.[4] All U-boats listed are German unless otherwise noted in the table.
Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Otto Weddigen in U-9 sank three Royal Navy cruisers that appear on the list—Aboukir, Hogue, and Cressy—in a little more than an hour during the action of 22 September 1914.[5] The first three victims of UB-14's career—the Amalfi, the British troopship Royal Edward, and the troopship Southland (which was seriously damaged) in July, August, and September 1915, respectively—are all on the list.[6]
Four U-boat commanders appear four or more times on the list. Kptlt. Hans Rose in U-53 sank two ships and damaged two others between June 1917 and April 1918,[7] while Kptlt. Otto Steinbrinck in UC-65 did the same between March and July 1917.[7] Between October 1916 and October 1918, Kptlt. Wolfgang Steinbauer sank three ships on the list in UB-47 and damaged a fourth in UB-48.[7] Kptlt. Gustav Sieß—responsible for sinking the largest ship on the list, the hospital ship Britannic struck a mine and sunk (the younger sister ship of Titanic and Olympic)—topped the list with five entries, four (including Britannic) sunk in U-73 and a fifth sunk in U-33, all between April 1916 and April 1917.[7] Other notable commanders that appear on the list are Kptlt. Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (three times) who sank the most tonnage of any submarine commander ever,[8] and Linienschiffsleutnant Georg Ritter von Trapp of the Austro-Hungarian Navy (two times), known as the patriarch of the family made famous in The Sound of Music and its subsequent film adaptation.[9]
| Ship | Nationality | [Note 1] Tons | Date | U-boat | Commander | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMHS Britannic |  Royal Navy | 48,758 | 21 November 1916 | U-73 | Gustav Sieß | Sunk by Mine |
| Justicia[a] |  United Kingdom | 32,234 | 19 July 1918 | UB-64 | Otto von Schrader | Damaged, taken under tow |
| Justicia | United Kingdom | 32,234 | 20 July 1918 | UB-124 | Hans Oskar Wutsdorff | Sunk while under tow from 1st attack |
| Lusitania | United Kingdom | 30,396 | 7 May 1915 | U-20 | Walther Schwieger | Sunk with great loss of life |
| Jean Bart[a] |  French Navy | 22,189 | 21 December 1914 | U-12 (Austria-Hungary) | Egon Lerch | Returned to port under own power |
| Celtic[a] | United Kingdom | 20,904 | 15 February 1917 | U-80 | Alfred von Glasenapp | Struck mine, returned to port under tow |
| Celtic[a] | United Kingdom | 20,904 | 31 March 1918 | UB-77 | Wilhelm Meyer | Torpedoed, returned to port under tow |
| Merion | United Kingdom | 19,380 | 29 May 1915 | UB-8 | Ernst von Voigt | Decoy disguised as HMS Tiger, sunk |
| Lapland[a] | United Kingdom | 18,565 | 7 April 1917 | UC-65 | Otto Steinbrinck | Struck mine, returned to port |
| Franconia | United Kingdom | 18,510 | 4 October 1916 | UB-47 | Wolfgang Steinbauer | Torpedoed while empty |
| Voltaire[a] | French Navy | 18,400 | 18 October 1918 | UB-48 | Wolfgang Steinbauer | Lightly damaged by 2 torpedoes |
| USS Mount Vernon[a] |  United States Navy | 18,372 | 5 September 1918 | U-82 | Heinrich Middendorf | Heavy damage, returned to port under own power |
| Danton | French Navy | 18,300 | 19 March 1917 | U-64 | Robert Moraht | Torpedoed and sunk |
| USS President Lincoln | United States Navy | 18,168 | 31 May 1918 | U-90 | Walter Remy | Torpedoed and sunk, most lives saved |
| Laconia | United Kingdom | 18,099 | 25 February 1917 | U-50 | Gerhard Berger | |
| USS Minnesota[a] | United States Navy | 18,000 | 29 September 1918 | U-117 | Otto Dröscher | |
| HMS Britannia | Royal Navy | 16,350 | 9 November 1918 | UB-50 | Heinrich Kukat | |
| USS Covington | United States Navy | 16,339 | 1 July 1918 | U-86 | Helmut Brümmer-Patzig | |
| Arabic | United Kingdom | 15,801 | 19 August 1915 | U-24 | Rudolf Schneider | |
| Rurik[a] |  Imperial Russian Navy | 15,544 | 19 November 1916 | UC-27 | Karl Vesper | |
| HMS Formidable | Royal Navy | 15,000 | 1 January 1915 | U-24 | Rudolf Schneider | |
| Gallia |  France | 14,966 | 4 October 1916 | U-35 | Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | |
| HMS Majestic | Royal Navy | 14,900 | 27 May 1915 | U-21 | Otto Hersing | |
| Laurentic | United Kingdom | 14,892 | 25 January 1917 | U-80 | Alfred von Glasenapp | |
| Transylvania | United Kingdom | 14,348 | 4 May 1917 | U-63 | Otto Schultze | |
| Tuscania | United Kingdom | 14,348 | 5 February 1918 | UB-77 | Wilhelm Meyer | |
| Minnewaska | United Kingdom | 14,317 | 29 November 1916 | UC-23 | Johannes Kirchner | |
| HMS Drake | Royal Navy | 14,300 | 2 October 1917 | U-79 | Otto Rohrbeck | |
| Ivernia | Royal Navy | 14,278 | 1 January 1917 | UB-47 | Wolfgang Steinbauer | |
| HMS King Alfred[a] | Royal Navy | 14,150 | 11 April 1918 | UB-86 | Hans Trenk | |
| HMS Russell | Royal Navy | 14,000 | 27 April 1916 | U-73 | Gustav Sieß | |
| HMS Cornwallis | Royal Navy | 14,000 | 9 January 1917 | U-32 | Kurt Hartwig | |
| Aurania | United Kingdom | 13,936 | 4 February 1918 | UB-67 | Gerhard Schulz | |
| Tubantia |  Netherlands | 13,911 | 16 March 1916 | UB-13 | Arthur Metz | |
| La Provence | France | 13,753 | 26 February 1916 | U-35 | Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | |
| Minnehaha | United Kingdom | 13,714 | 7 September 1917 | U-48 | Karl Edeling | |
| USS San Diego | United States Navy | 13,680 | 19 July 1918 | U-156 | Richard Feldt | |
| Carpathia | United Kingdom | 13,603 | 17 July 1918 | U-55 | Wilhelm Werner | Torpedoed |
| Minneapolis | United Kingdom | 13,543 | 23 March 1916 | U-35 | Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | |
| Minnetonka | United Kingdom | 13,528 | 30 January 1918 | U-64 | Robert Moraht | |
| Peresvet | Imperial Russian Navy | 13,500 | 2 January 1917 | U-73 | Gustav Sieß | |
| Avenger | United Kingdom | 13,441 | 14 June 1917 | U-69 | Ernst Wilhelms | |
| Regina Margherita |  Regia Marina | 13,427 | 12 December 1916 | UC-14 | Franz Becker | |
| Alaunia | United Kingdom | 13,405 | 19 October 1916 | UC-16 | Egon von Werner | |
| Andania | United Kingdom | 13,405 | 27 January 1918 | U-46 | Leo Hillebrand | |
| Cymric | United Kingdom | 13,370 | 8 May 1916 | U-20 | Walther Schwieger | |
| Orama | United Kingdom | 12,927 | 19 October 1917 | U-62 | Ernst Hashagen | |
| Suffren | French Navy | 12,750 | 25 November 1916 | U-52 | Hans Walther | |
| Athos | France | 12,644 | 17 February 1917 | U-65 | Hermann von Fischel | |
| Rijndam (ID-2505)[a] | Netherlands | 12,527 | 18 January 1916 | UC-1 | Egon von Werner | |
| Calgarian (1913) | United Kingdom | 12,515 | 1 March 1918 | U-19 | Johannes Spieß | |
| Missanabie | United Kingdom | 12,469 | 9 September 1918 | UB-87 | Karl Petri | |
| Maloja | United Kingdom | 12,431 | 27 February 1916 | UC-6 | Matthias Graf von Schmettow | |
| Léon Gambetta | French Navy | 12,416 | 27 April 1915 | U-5 (Austria-Hungary) | Georg Ritter von Trapp | |
| Medina | United Kingdom | 12,350 | 28 April 1917 | UB-31 | Thomas Bieber | |
| Finland[a] | United States Army | 12,222 | 28 October 1917 | U-93 | Helmut Gerlach | |
| Argyllshire[a] | United Kingdom | 12,097 | 5 February 1917 | UC-46 | Friedrich Moecke | |
| Otway | United Kingdom | 12,077 | 23 July 1917 | UC-49 | Karl Petri | |
| Persic[a] | United Kingdom | 12,045 | 7 September 1918 | UB-87 | Karl Petri | |
| Orsova[a] | United Kingdom | 12,036 | 14 March 1917 | UC-68 | Hans Degetau | |
| Burdigala | France | 12,009 | 14 November 1916 | U-73 | Gustav Sieß | |
| Asturias[a] | United Kingdom | 12,002 | 20 March 1917 | UC-66 | Herbert Pustkuchen | |
| HMS Aboukir | Royal Navy | 12,000 | 22 September 1914 | U-9 | Otto Weddigen | |
| HMS Cressy | Royal Navy | 12,000 | 22 September 1914 | U-9 | Otto Weddigen | |
| HMS Hogue | Royal Navy | 12,000 | 22 September 1914 | U-9 | Otto Weddigen | |
| Afric | United Kingdom | 11,999 | 12 February 1917 | UC-66 | Herbert Pustkuchen | |
| HMS Triumph | Royal Navy | 11,985 | 25 May 1915 | U-21 | Otto Hersing | |
| HMT Southland[a] | Royal Navy | 11,899 | 2 September 1915 | UB-14 | Heino von Heimburg | |
| HMT Southland | Royal Navy | 11,899 | 4 June 1917 | U-70 | Otto Wünsche | |
| Haverford[a] | United Kingdom | 11,635 | 26 June 1917 | U-94 | Alfred Saalwächter | |
| Volturno | Kingdom of Italy | 11,495 | 26 March 1918 | UB-50 | Franz Becker | |
| Demerara[a] | United Kingdom | 11,484 | 1 July 1917 | U-84 | Walter Roehr | |
| Drina | United Kingdom | 11,483 | 1 March 1917 | UC-65 | Otto Steinbrinck | |
| Milazzo | Kingdom of Italy | 11,477 | 29 August 1917 | U-14 (Austria-Hungary) | Georg Ritter von Trapp | |
| HMHS Llandovery Castle | Royal Navy | 11,423 | 27 June 1918 | U-86 | Helmut Brümmer-Patzig | |
| Rotorua | United Kingdom | 11,140 | 22 March 1917 | UC-17 | Ralph Wenninger | |
| Berrima[a] | United Kingdom | 11,137 | 18 February 1917 | U-84 | Walter Roehr | |
| Ballarat | United Kingdom | 11,120 | 25 April 1917 | UB-32 | Max Viebeg | |
| HMT Royal Edward |  Royal Canadian Navy | 11,117 | 13 August 1915 | UB-14 | Heino von Heimburg | |
| Cadillac[a] | United Kingdom | 11,106 | 7 April 1918 | U-53 | Hans Rose | |
| Gaulois | French Navy | 11,100 | 27 December 1916 | UB-47 | Wolfgang Steinbauer | |
| HMS Ariadne | Royal Navy | 11,000 | 26 July 1917 | UC-65 | Otto Steinbrinck | |
| Cameronia | United Kingdom | 10,963 | 15 April 1917 | U-33 | Gustav Sieß | |
| Yasaka Maru |  Japan | 10,932 | 21 December 1915 | U-38 | Max Valentiner | |
| Hesperian | United Kingdom | 10,920 | 4 September 1915 | U-20 | Walther Schwieger | |
| HMS Roxburgh[a] | Royal Navy | 10,850 | 20 June 1915 | U-38 | Max Valentiner | |
| HMS Hampshire | Royal Navy | 10,850 | 5 June 1916 | U-75 | Curt Beitzen | |
| New York[a] | United States | 10,798 | 9 April 1917 | UC-65 | Otto Steinbrinck | |
| Virginian[a] | United Kingdom | 10,757 | 21 August 1917 | U-102 | Ernst Killmann | |
| Hurunui | United Kingdom | 10,644 | 18 May 1918 | U-94 | Martin Schwab | |
| Marmora | United Kingdom | 10,509 | 23 July 1918 | UB-64 | Otto von Schrader | |
| Vestris[a] | United Kingdom | 10,494 | 26 January 1918 | UB-54 | Egon von Werner | |
| Devonian | United Kingdom | 10,435 | 21 August 1917 | U-53 | Hans Rose | |
| Winifredian[a] | United Kingdom | 10,422 | 17 April 1917 | UC-76 | Wilhelm Barten | |
| Ultonia | United Kingdom | 10,402 | 27 June 1917 | U-53 | Hans Rose | |
| Rowanmore | United Kingdom | 10,320 | 26 October 1916 | U-57 | Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg | |
| O. B. Jennings | United States | 10,289 | 4 August 1918 | U-140 | Waldemar Kophamel | |
| San Melito[a] | United Kingdom | 10,160 | 21 August 1915 | U-38 | Max Valentiner | |
| San Hilario | United Kingdom | 10,157 | 20 April 1917 | U-43 | Hellmuth Jürst | |
| Amalfi | Regia Marina | 10,118 | 7 July 1915 | UB-14 | Heino von Heimburg | |
| San Nazario[a] | United Kingdom | 10,064 | 15 October 1917 | U-53 | Hans Rose | |
| Raranga[a] | United Kingdom | 10,040 | 26 June 1918 | UC-71 | Walter Warzecha | |
| Amazon | United Kingdom | 10,037 | 15 March 1918 | U-110 | Karl Kroll |
Notes
References
Bibliography
- Gibson, R. H.; Maurice Prendergast (2003) [1931]. The German Submarine War, 1914–1918. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591143147. OCLC 52924732.
- Tarrant, V.E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.