SM U-139 was the lead ship of her class, one of the submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was commissioned on 18 May 1918 under the command of Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who named the submarine Kapitänleutnant Schwieger, after Walther Schwieger, who had sunk the Lusitania in 1915. She only sailed on one war patrol, during which she sunk four ships. U-139 surrendered to France on 24 November 1918 and shortly afterwards became French submarine Halbronn (until 24 July 1935 when she was broken up).
 German U-boat U-139
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | U-139 |
| Ordered | 1 August 1916 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number | 300 |
| Launched | 3 December 1917 |
| Commissioned | 18 May 1918 |
| Renamed | Halbronn |
| Fate | Surrendered to France on 24 November 1918 |
 France | |
| Name | Halbronn |
| Acquired | 24 November 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 24 July 1935 |
| Fate | Broken up |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Type U 139 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 5.27 m (17 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 11.20 m (36 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 × 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) propellers |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 75 m (246 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 6 (1) officers, 56 (20) enlisted – (prize crew) |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[2] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 1 patrol |
| Victories: | |
Action of 14 October 1918
editOn the 14 October 1918, U-139 attacked the Portuguese civilian steamer SS São Miguel, which was being escorted by the Portuguese Navy small naval trawler NRP Augusto de Castilho in the Atlantic Ocean. Augusto Castilho covered the escape of São Miguel by engaging U-139 for several hours, until being destroyed.[3]
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 1918 | Bylands |  United Kingdom
|
3,309 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1918 | Manin |  Kingdom of Italy
|
2,691 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1918 | HMS Perth |  Royal Navy
|
2,502 | Damaged |
| 2 October 1918 | Rio Cavado |  Portugal
|
301 | Sunk |
| 14 October 1918 | Augusto De Castilho |  Portuguese Navy
|
487 | Sunk |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 19–21.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 139". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ^ James H. Guill, "the only battle of note that occurred near the Azores during this period took place 14 October 1918 between the German U-139 and Portugal's ships São Miguel and Augusto Castilho.", page 507.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 139". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 139". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.