1 history
1.1 1914: initial stages
1.2 1915
1.2.1 operations @ dardanelles
1.2.2 pola flotilla
1.2.3 war on commerce
1.2.4 ancona incident
1.3 1916: commerce war continues
1.4 1917: unrestricted submarine warfare
1.4.1 japanese participation
1.5 1918: final stages
history
1914: initial stages
at outbreak of world war i, italy’s decision remain neutral, naval strength of central powers represented navy of austro-hungarian empire, kuk kriegsmarine, access sea through adriatic coast. entente powers moved swiftly blockade adriatic, sending fleet take station @ straits of otranto.
the initial phase of u-boat campaign in mediterranean comprised actions kuks u-boat force against french. @ start of hostilities, kuk had 7 u-boats in commission; 5 operational, 2 training; of coastal type, limited range , endurance, suitable operation in adriatic.
nevertheless, had number of successes. on 21 december 1914, u-12 torpedoed french battleship jean bart, admiral lapeyrere s flagship. saved sinking, forced retire damaged bow. setback dissuaded french capital ships penetrating far adriatic. on 27 april 1915, u-5 sank french cruiser léon gambetta, heavy loss of life.
but kuk boats unable offer interference allied traffic in mediterranean beyond straits of otranto.
1915
operations @ dardanelles
in april 1915, imperial german navy sent first submarines mediterranean in response anglo-french dardanelles campaign, after became obvious austro-hungarian allies little against small submarine force, nevertheless successful in defending adriatic.
the first u-boat sent—u-21—achieved initial success, sinking royal navy predreadnought battleships hms triumph , majestic on 25 , 27 may respectively on way constantinople, ran severe limitations in dardanelles, swarms of small craft , extensive anti-submarine netting , booms restricted movements. in addition, germans dispatched number of ub , uc type boats; these sent in sections rail pola assembled transit constantinople. 1 lost, end of 1915 germans had established force of 7 u-boats @ constantinople, misleadingly named mediterranean u-boat division.
the pola flotilla
at same time, germans determined establish force in adriatic open commerce war against allied trade in mediterranean.
by end of june 1915, germans had assembled further 3 pre-fabricated type ub submarines @ pola in istria, 2 of them intended transfer austrian navy. assembling 3 type uc minelaying submarines, ordered converted transports carry small quantities of critical supplies turkey. however, ub submarines hindered short operational range , dardanelles currents, , in july u-21—the u-boat decent operating range—was damaged mine , confined constantinople.
on 21 july, ocean-going submarines u-34 , u-35 detached service in baltic , sent cattaro (in present-day montenegro), germans deciding make use of austrian bases rather constantinople, since there better supply , repair facilities in adriatic , avoided submarines having negotiate dangerous passage through dardanelles. in august, u-33 , u-39 joined german flotilla stationed @ cattaro, following pleas german military attaché in constantinople, reported royal navy s close naval support inflicting heavy losses on turkish forces @ gallipoli beachheads.
the war on commerce
the mediterranean attractive theatre of operations german admiralstab s war on allied commerce; significant proportion of british imports passed through it, critical french , italian trade, , submarines able operate in in northern-hemisphere autumn , winter, when poor weather hampered naval operations in atlantic , north sea. additionally, there choke points through shipping had pass, such suez canal, malta, crete, , gibraltar. finally, mediterranean offered advantage fewer neutral ships encountered, such u.s. vessels, , fewer american citizens travelled waters.
the german campaign in mediterranean agreed have begun in october 1915, when u-33 , u-39, followed later u-35, ordered attack approaches salonika , kavalla. month, 18 ships sunk, total of 63,848 long tons (64,873 t). decided same month further reinforcements called for, , further large u-boat—u-38—sailed cattaro. since germany not yet @ war italy, though austria was, german submarines ordered refrain attacking italian shipping in eastern mediterranean italians might expect hostile action german submarines. when operating in west, line of cape matapan, german u-boats flew austrian flag, , sinking without warning policy adopted, since large merchant ships attacked on suspicion of being transports or auxiliary cruisers.
the german admiralty decided type ub ii submarine ideal mediterranean service. since these large shipped in sections rail pola type ub i, materials construction , german workers assemble them sent instead. meant shortage of workers complete u-boats service in home waters, seemed justified successes in mediterranean in november, when 44 ships sunk, total of 155,882 long tons (158,383 t). total in december fell 17 ships (73,741 long tons (74,924 t)) still on ½ total tonnage sunk in theaters of operation @ time.
the ancona incident
in november 1915, u-38—sailing under austrian flag , commanded kapitanleutnant (k/l) max valentiner—caused diplomatic incident when sank italian passenger liner ss ancona off coast of tunisia. ancona—bound messina new york city—was booked , on 200 lives lost, including 9 americans. coming did 6 months after sinking of british liner rms lusitania off ireland, ancona incident added growing outrage in u.s. on unrestricted submarine warfare, , u.s. secretary of state robert lansing despatched sternly-worded protest vienna.
in december 1915, valentiner caused further outrage when sank passenger liner ss persia without warning. 343 lives lost.
in further incident in march 1916, german minelayer uc-12 blown own mines while laying mine field off taranto harbor. italian divers inspected wreck , established identity. knowledge germany—technically ally—was assiduously mining naval bases contributing factor in italy’s decision in may 1916 declare war on germany.
1916: commerce war continues
during 1916, commerce war continued unabated. allied countermeasures largely ineffective; complex arrangements co-operation between various navies meant fragmented , unco-ordinated response, while main remedy favored allies u-boat menace establish anti-submarine barrier across straits of otranto, otranto barrage. ineffective; straits wide , deep such barrage successful, , consumed huge effort , tied many of patrol vessels allies possessed. acted target surface attacks, being target number of raids kuk forces. 2 u-boats caught in barrage in time in operation; meanwhile merchant ships continued suffer huge losses. in 1916, allies lost 415 ships, of 1,045,058 long tons (1,061,828 t), ½ of allied ships sunk in theaters.
eight of top 12 u-boat aces served in pola flotilla—including highest scoring commander of all, k/l arnauld de la perière.
1917: unrestricted submarine warfare
in january 1917, following german decision resume unrestricted submarine warfare, foreign secretary arthur zimmermann led delegation vienna secure collaboration of austria-hungary. grand admiral haus wholly supported proposal, foreign minister count ottokar czernin had misgivings, did emperor, charles of austria. haus , german delegates won debate, partly listing several instances allied submarines had sunk unarmed austro-hungarian ships in adriatic. negotiations on terms of new mediterranean submarine campaign aided fact italy had declared war on germany on 28 august 1916, making no longer necessary german u-boats masquerade austrian vessels when attacking italian shipping.
shipping losses u-boats reached peak in april 1917, when central powers had 28 boats operating, many 10 @ sea @ 1 time. while not single submarine sunk, caused 94 ship losses in 1 month, , severely endangered , delayed shipping. however, time, italian navy had instituted convoy operations, british following on alexandria-malta route in may 1917.
japanese participation
beginning in april 1917, japan, ally of great britain, sent total of 14 destroyers mediterranean cruiser flagships based @ malta , played important part in escorting convoys guard them against enemy submarines. japanese ships effective in patrol , anti-submarine activity. however, of 9 austro-hungarian navy submarines lost enemy action, 5 sunk italian navy units (u-13, u-10, u-16, u-20, , u-23), 1 italian , french units (u-30), 1 royal navy units (u-3), while none sunk japanese navy, lost 1 destroyer (sakaki, torpedoed u-27).
1918: final stages
sm ub 48 unter kapitänleutnant wolfgang steinbauer (1888-1978) dringt 29 april 1918 in den italienischen hafen carloforte ein und zerstört den britischen dampfer kingstonian, zwei britische bergungsdampfer und eine französische bark
although convoys had been introduced between malta , alexandria in may 1917, allies unable introduce comprehensive system until later in year. number of routes, , divided responsibilities made complicated, while continued belief in offensive measures, such otranto barrage, kept shortage of escort ships elsewhere. throughout year u-boats still able find , sink ships sailing independently. 1918, however, u-boats successes began drop. in january 1918, german u-boats sank 103,738 long tons (105,403 t) , austrians sank further 20,020 long tons (20,340 t) while 2 pola boats sunk.
allied losses continued fall during year, while u-boat losses mounted. in may 1918, allied losses dropped below 100,000 long tons (100,000 t) , did not rise above again, while pola flotilla lost 4 boats, worst month of war.
karl dönitz—who go on command german u-boat force in world war ii, commander of ub-68, operating in mediterranean. on 4 october, boat sunk british forces , dönitz taken prisoner on island of malta.
by october 1918, end of campaign, allied losses year stood @ 761,000 long tons (773,000 t). pola flotilla had lost 11 boats, , kuk further 3. in october, central powers on verge of collapse; bulgaria , ottomans had sued peace, , austrians same. germans elected abandon mediterranean; 9 u-boats sailed bases on adriatic return germany , further 10 boats scuttled. 2 ships—mercia , surada—were torpedoed on way, last allied ships sunk in mediterranean, , 3 u-boats attacked. u-35 damaged , forced run barcelona, interned; u-34 destroyed. last action of mediterranean force came on 9 november 1918, 2 days before armistice: ub-50 torpedoed , sank british battleship hms britannia off cape trafalgar.
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