SM U-46 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-46 was engaged in the combat during World War I and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, she served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as O-2.
History | |
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Name | U-46 |
Ordered | 4 August 1914 |
Builder | Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig |
Yard number | 24 |
Launched | 18 May 1915 |
Commissioned | 17 December 1915 |
Fate | Surrendered to Japan 26 November 1918 |
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Name | O-2 |
Acquired | 26 November 1918 |
Commissioned | 1920 |
Decommissioned | 1921 |
Fate |
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General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Type U-43 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a) |
Beam |
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Height | 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in) |
Installed power | |
Propulsion | 2 shafts |
Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
Complement | 36 |
Armament |
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Service record[2] | |
Part of: |
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Commanders: |
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Operations: | 11 patrols |
Victories: |
Imperial German Navy
editOrdered on 4 August 1914, U-46 was constructed at the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig, Germany. Launched on 18 May 1915, she was commissioned on 17 December 1915.[3]
Assigned to the III Flotilla, U-46 began her first war patrol on 29 March 1916. Remaining in the III Flotilla for the rest of the war, she conducted a total of 11 war patrols before the war ended on 11 November 1918 and was credited with sinking 51 merchant ships totaling 138,942 gross register tons and one auxiliary warship of 1,372 gross register tons and damaging one merchant ship of 7,378 gross register tons.[3]
After the end of the war, she surrendered to Japan on 26 November 1918.[3]
Summary of raiding history
editDate | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
29 September 1916 | Ravn | Norwegen | 1,260 | Sunk |
29 September 1916 | Sinsen | Norwegen | 1,925 | Sunk |
30 September 1916 | Hafnia | Norwegen | 962 | Sunk |
30 September 1916 | Hekla | Norwegen | 950 | Sunk |
4 October 1916 | Brantingham | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,617 | Sunk |
6 October 1916 | Erika | Russian Empire | 2,430 | Sunk |
9 October 1916 | Astoria | Vereinigtes Königreich | 4,262 | Sunk |
11 October 1916 | Iolo | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,903 | Sunk |
16 December 1916 | Chassie Maersk | Dänemark | 1,387 | Sunk |
16 December 1916 | Taki Maru | Japan | 3,208 | Sunk |
16 December 1916 | Gerda | Dänemark | 775 | Sunk |
17 December 1916 | Bayhall | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,898 | Sunk |
19 December 1916 | Falk | Norwegen | 948 | Sunk |
23 December 1916 | Marques De Urquijo | Spanien | 2,170 | Sunk |
25 December 1916 | Marie Pierre | Frankreich | 166 | Sunk |
27 December 1916 | Aislaby | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,692 | Sunk |
27 December 1916 | Goulfar | Frankreich | 259 | Sunk |
21 March 1917 | Hindustan | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,692 | Sunk |
23 March 1917 | Argo | Portugal | 1,563 | Sunk |
24 March 1917 | Montreal | Frankreich | 3,342 | Sunk |
1 April 1917 | Aztec | Vereinigte Staaten | 3,727 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Hesperus | Russian Empire | 2,231 | Sunk |
5 April 1917 | Benheather | Vereinigtes Königreich | 4,701 | Sunk |
7 April 1917 | Fiskaa | Norwegen | 1,700 | Sunk |
15 May 1917 | Grosholm | Norwegen | 1,847 | Sunk |
17 May 1917 | Lewisham | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,810 | Sunk |
18 May 1917 | Llandrindod | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,841 | Sunk |
18 May 1917 | Penhale | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,712 | Sunk |
20 May 1917 | HMS Paxton[5] | Royal Navy | 1,372 | Sunk |
22 May 1917 | Tansan Maru | Japan | 2,443 | Sunk |
24 May 1917 | Jersey City | Vereinigtes Königreich | 4,670 | Sunk |
24 July 1917 | Brumaire | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,324 | Sunk |
24 July 1917 | Zermatt | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,767 | Sunk |
25 July 1917 | Peninsula | Vereinigtes Königreich | 1,384 | Sunk |
25 July 1917 | Purley | Vereinigtes Königreich | 4,500 | Sunk |
27 July 1917 | Begona No. 4 | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,407 | Sunk |
31 July 1917 | Shimosa | Vereinigtes Königreich | 4,221 | Sunk |
22 October 1917 | Zillah | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,788 | Sunk |
24 October 1917 | Ilderton | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,125 | Sunk |
28 October 1917 | Baron Balfour | Vereinigtes Königreich | 3,991 | Sunk |
4 November 1917 | Irina | Russian Empire | 2,210 | Sunk |
7 November 1917 | Obj | Norwegen | 1,829 | Sunk |
27 January 1918 | Andania | Vereinigtes Königreich | 13,405 | Sunk |
31 January 1918 | Towneley | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,476 | Sunk |
1 February 1918 | Cavallo | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,086 | Sunk |
3 February 1918 | Lutece | Frankreich | 1,346 | Sunk |
5 February 1918 | Cresswell | Vereinigtes Königreich | 2,829 | Sunk |
13 March 1918 | Crayford | Vereinigtes Königreich | 1,209 | Sunk |
18 March 1918 | Atlantic Sun | Vereinigte Staaten | 2,333 | Sunk |
30 March 1918 | Stabil | Norwegen | 538 | Sunk |
25 May 1918 | Rathlin Head | Vereinigtes Königreich | 7,378 | Damaged |
16 September 1918 | Tasman | Vereinigtes Königreich | 5,023 | Sunk |
25 September 1918 | Gloire a Jesus | Frankreich | 60 | Sunk |
Imperial Japanese Navy
editTransferred to Japan after surrendering, the submarine was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920 as O-2. Decommissioned in 1921, she was partly dismantled at the Kure Naval Arsenal in April 1921.[3]
A photo of U-46 apparently at the time of transfer to Japan shows the submarine docked and flying the flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy over the flag of the Imperial German Navy.[6]
Some sources claim that O-2 was scrapped in 1922.[7][8] Other sources claim that in 1925, O-2 was rebuilt at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal to serve as a testbed for submarine salvage operations by the submarine salvage ship Asahi and foundered in the Pacific Ocean in a storm off the coast of Japan during her transfer voyage from Yokosuka to Kure on 21 April 1925,[3] adding that an American merchant ship sighted her derelict hulk floating in the Pacific west of Oahu, Hawaii, on 5 August 1927, and that the hulk subsequently was scuttled.[3]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 46". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "U 46". Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 46". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ "Richard Tallack". A Tale of one City. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Photo of U-46 at the time of transfer to the Imperial Japanese Navy". Imperial War Museums (UK). Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ Gardiner, p. 177
- ^ Gröner, p. 9.
Bibliography
edit- Gardiner, Robert (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
- 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.