SM U-156

SM U-156[Note 1] was a German Type U 151 U-boat commissioned in 1917 for the Imperial German Navy. From 1917 until her disappearance in September 1918 she was part of the U‑Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for sinking 44 ships and damaging three others, including a warship. She took part in the Attack on Orleans.

History
German Empire
Name:	U-156
Ordered:	29 November 1916
Builder:	Atlas Werke, Bremen
Launched:	17 April 1917
Commissioned:	22 August 1917
Fate:	Sunk in the Northern Barrage minefield on 25 September 1918. 77 dead.
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:	German Type U 151 submarine
Displacement:	1,512 tonnes (1,488 long tons) (surfaced) 1,875 tonnes (1,845 long tons) (submerged) 2,272 tonnes (2,236 long tons) (total)
Length:	65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a) 57.00 m (187 ft) (pressure hull)
Beam:	8.90 m (29 ft 2 in) (o/a) 5.80 m (19 ft) (pressure hull)
Height:	9.25 m (30 ft 4 in)
Draught:	5.30 m (17 ft 5 in)
Installed power:	800 PS (590 kW; 790 bhp) (surfaced) 800 PS (590 kW; 790 bhp) (submerged)
Propulsion:	2 × shafts, 2 × 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) propellers
Speed:	12.4 knots (23.0 km/h; 14.3 mph) surfaced 5.2 knots (9.6 km/h; 6.0 mph) submerged
Range:	25,000 nmi (46,000 km; 29,000 mi) at 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h; 6.3 mph) surfaced, 65 nmi (120 km; 75 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 metres (160 ft)
Complement:	6 officers, 50 enlisted
Armament:	2 50 cm (20 in) bow torpedo tubes 18 torpedoes 2 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 deck guns with 1672 rounds 2 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck guns with 764 rounds
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy U‑Kreuzer Flotilla 22 August 1917 – 25 September 1918
Commanders:	Konrad Gansser 22 August – 31 December 1917 Richard Feldt 1918-01-01 – 1918-09-25
Operations:	2 patrols

Background

U-156, built by the Atlas Werke in Bremen, was originally one of seven Deutschland class U-boats designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany in 1916. Five of the submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers) equipped with two 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 deck guns, including U-156. They were the largest U-boats of World War I.

Service history

U-156 was launched on 17 April 1917 and commissioned on 22 August 1917 under Konrad Gansser, who commanded her until 31 December 1917, following which Richard Feldt took command of her on 1 January 1918.

On 15 June 1918, U-156 sailed with 77 crew. She passed through the North Sea, negotiated the Northern Passage around the northern end of the British Isles, and out into the Atlantic Ocean where she sailed for Long Island. She then proceeded to New York Harbor, where she had been ordered to lay mines. Records show that she was to lay a field of mines in the shipping lane along the south shore of Long Island, just east of the Fire Island lightship.[2]

On 8 July 1918 U-156 stopped and scuttled the Norwegian owned Manx King at 40°05′N 52°00′W, which was traveling between New York and Rio de Janeiro. Captain Rasmus Emil Halvorsen and her crew were rescued from the lifeboats after 27 hours by DS Anchites of Liverpool, England.

A mine laid by U-156 is often credited with the loss of the cruiser USS San Diego on 19 July 1918, ten miles southeast of Fire Island, New York.[2][3][4]

On 21 July 1918 U-156 opened fire on the American town of Orleans, Massachusetts, and several nearby merchant vessels. She sank a tugboat and four barges. HS-1L flying boats and R-9 seaplanes were dispatched from the Chatham Naval Air Station and bombed the enemy raider with bombs that failed to explode. It was the first time in history that American aviators engaged an enemy vessel in the western Atlantic. The Attack on Orleans was the only Central Powers raid mounted against the United States mainland during World War I and the first time the Continental United States was shelled by a foreign power's artillery since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1846.

U-156 had meanwhile headed north to attack the US fishing fleet. She sank 21 fishing boats in the Gulf of Maine area, from Cape Cod to the Bay of Fundy, ranging from the 72 ton schooner Nelson A. (4 August) to the 766 ton Dornfontein (2 August).[5]

U-156 has been credited with the sinking of the tanker Luz Blanca, just off the headlands of Halifax on August 5/1918.[6] On 20 August, U-156 captured the Canadian trawler Triumph southwest of Canso, Nova Scotia. They manned and armed the vessel, and used it in conjunction with the submarine to capture and sink seven other fishing boats in the Grand Banks area, before eventually scuttling her.[7]

Fate

On 25 September 1918 and in the following days, U-156 failed to report that she had cleared the Northern barrage minefield between the United Kingdom and Norway on her return voyage to Germany. U-156 is presumed to have struck a mine of the Northern Barrage during the last leg of her cruise. Prior to her arrival at the northern end of the barrage she had radioed the estimated time and exact route she planned to take through the mines. The British intercepted this message, decoded it, and sent a submarine to ambush U-156. U-156 escaped the trap by diving but likely attempted to transit the barrage while underwater. The 77 crew on board were never heard from again.[8]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Captain	Name	Type	Tonnage[Note 2]	Nationality	Fate[9]
7 Dec 1917	Konrad Gansser	W.c. Mc Kay	Sailing vessel	147	Canada	sunk
15 Dec 1917	Konrad Gansser	Ioannina	Steamer	4,567	Greece	sunk
17 Dec 1917	Konrad Gansser	Acoriano	Sailing vessel	312	Portugal	sunk
30 Dec 1917	Konrad Gansser	Joaquin Mumbru	Steamer	2,703	Spain	sunk
10 Jan 1918	Konrad Gansser	Atlas	Steamer	1,813	Netherlands	sunk
8 Feb 1918	Konrad Gansser	Artesia	Tanker	2,762	United Kingdom	sunk
8 Feb 1918	Konrad Gansser	Chariton	Steamer	3,023	Greece	sunk
8 Feb 1918	Konrad Gansser	Nuzza	Sailing vessel	1,102	Italy	sunk
9 Feb 1918	Konrad Gansser	Atlantide	Steamer	5,431	Italy	sunk
26 Jun 1918	Richard Feldt	Tortuguero	Steamer	4,175	United Kingdom	sunk
7 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	Marosa	Sailing vessel	1,987	Norway	sunk
8 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	Manx King	Sailing vessel	1,729	Norway	sunk
19 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	San Diego	Armored cruiser	13,680	United States	sunk
21 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	703	Barge	934	United States	sunk
21 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	740	Barge	680	United States	sunk
21 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	766	Barge	527	United States	sunk
21 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	Lansford	Barge	830	United States	sunk
21 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	Perth Amboy	Tug	435	United States	damaged
22 Jul 1918	Richard Feldt	Robert & Richard	Fishing vessel (sail)	140	United States	sunk
2 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Dornfontein	Auxiliary motor	766	Canada	sunk
3 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Annie Perry	Fishing vessel (sail)	116	United States	sunk
3 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Muriel	Fishing vessel (sail)	120	United States	sunk
3 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Rob Roy	Motor fishing vessel	111	United States	sunk
3 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	SYDNEY B. ATWOOD		100	United States	sunk
4 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Nelson A.	Fishing vessel (sail)	72	United Kingdom	sunk
5 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	AGNES G. HOLLAND	Trawler	100	United States	sunk
5 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Gladys M. Hollett	Fishing vessel (Sail)	203	United Kingdom	damaged
5 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Luz Blanca	Tanker	4,868	Canada	sunk
8 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Sydland	Steamer	3,031	Sweden	sunk
11 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Penistone	Steamer	4,139	United Kingdom	sunk
17 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	San Jose	Steamer	1,586	Norway	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	A. Piatt Andrew	Fishing vessel (sail)	141	United States	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Francis J. O'hara Jr.	Fishing vessel (sail)	117	United States	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Lucille M. Schnare	Fishing vessel (sail)	121	Canada	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Pasadena	Fishing vessel (sail)	119	Canada	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Triumph	Trawler	239	Canada	sunk
20 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Uda A. Saunders	Fishing vessel (sail)	125	Canada	sunk
21 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Sylvania	Fishing vessel (sail)	136	United States	sunk
22 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Notre Dame De La Garde	Fishing vessel (sail)	147	France	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	C. M. Walters	Fishing vessel (sail)	107	Canada	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	E. B. Walters	Fishing vessel (sail)	126	Canada	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Erik	Steamer	583	United Kingdom	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	J. J. Flaherty	Fishing vessel (sail)	162	United States	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Marion Adams	Fishing vessel (sail)	99	Canada	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Verna D. Adams	Fishing vessel (sail)	132	Canada	sunk
25 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Clayton W. Walters	Fishing vessel (sail)	116	Canada	sunk
26 Aug 1918	Richard Feldt	Gloaming	Fishing vessel (sail)	130	Canada	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. 20-21.
2. Sheard, p. 114
3. Bleyer, Bill. "The Sinking of the San Diego". Newsday. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007.
4. Larson, Christina (13 December 2018). "Scientists scour WWI shipwreck to solve military mystery". The Associated Press. “We believe that U-156 sunk San Diego,” said Alexis Catsambis, an underwater archaeologist with the Navy.
5. Sheard, p. 117
6. Sarty, Roger (2012). War in the St. Lawrence. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Allen Lane, Penguin Canada. ISBN 978-0-670-06787-9.
7. Halpern, Paul G. (1994). A Naval History of World War I. Routledge. p. 433. ISBN 1-85728-498-4.
8. Hodos, Paul (2017). The Kaiser's Lost Kreuzer (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. pp. 164–165. ISBN 1476671621. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 156". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2018.

Bibliography

• Gibson, R.H.; Maurice Prendergast (2002). The German Submarine War 1914-1918. Periscope Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-904381-08-1.
• 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.
• Jung, Dieter (2004). Die Schiffe der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918 und ihr Verbleib [German Imperial Navy ships 1914-1918 and their fate] (in German). Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-6247-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Sheard, Bradley (1997). Lost Voyages: Two Centuries of Shipwrecks in the Approaches to New York. Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. ISBN 1-881652-17-3.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 156". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.