SM U-50

History
German Empire
Name	U-50
Ordered	4 August 1914
Builder	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number	28
Launched	31 December 1915
Commissioned	4 July 1916
Fate	Sunk probably by a mine off Terschelling on or after 31 August 1917
General characteristics
Class and type	Type U-43 submarine
Displacement	725 t (714 long tons) surfaced; 940 t (930 long tons) submerged;
Length	65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) (oa); 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) (pressure hull);
Height	9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught	3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Installed power	2 × 2,000 PS (1,471 kW; 1,973 shp) surfaced; 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged;
Propulsion	2 shafts
Speed	15.2 knots (28.2 km/h; 17.5 mph) surfaced; 9.7 knots (18.0 km/h; 11.2 mph) submerged;
Range	11,400 nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced; 51 nmi (94 km; 59 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged;
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	36
Armament	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern); 6 torpedoes; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun;
Service record
Part of:	III Flotilla; 4 July 1916 – 31 August 1917;
Commanders:	Kptlt. Gerhard Berger; 4 July 1916 - 31 August 1917;
Operations:	5 patrols
Victories:	27 merchant ships sunk ; (92,924 GRT)

SM U-50^{[Note 1]} was one of 329 submarines in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

U-50 is most notable for sinking the Laconia, formerly an armed merchant cruiser which had returned to passenger service, killing two Americans before the United States had entered the war. Laconia was also the 15th largest ship destroyed by submarine in the war.^[4]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 2]}	Fate^[5]
10 November 1916	Bogota	United Kingdom	4,577	Sunk
11 November 1916	Løkken	Norway	1,954	Sunk
11 November 1916	Morazan	United Kingdom	3,486	Sunk
11 November 1916	Sarah Radcliffe	United Kingdom	3,333	Sunk
12 November 1916	San Giovanni	Kingdom of Italy	1,315	Sunk
12 November 1916	Stylinai Bebis	Greece	3,603	Sunk
12 November 1916	Ioannis	Greece	3,828	Sunk
13 November 1916	Lela	Kingdom of Italy	2,987	Sunk
14 November 1916	Hatsuse	United Kingdom	282	Sunk
18 February 1917	Jean Pierre	France	449	Sunk
22 February 1917	Blenheim	Norway	1,144	Sunk
24 February 1917	Falcon	United Kingdom	2,244	Sunk
25 February 1917	Aries	United Kingdom	3,071	Sunk
25 February 1917	Huntsman	United Kingdom	7,460	Sunk
25 February 1917	Laconia	United Kingdom	18,099	Sunk
11 April 1917	Sarvsfos	Norway	1,462	Sunk
19 April 1917	Avocet	United Kingdom	1,219	Sunk
20 April 1917	Emma	United Kingdom	2,520	Sunk
21 April 1917	Diadem	United Kingdom	4,307	Sunk
23 April 1917	Dykland	United Kingdom	4,291	Sunk
23 April 1917	Oswald	United Kingdom	5,185	Sunk
25 April 1917	Swanmore	United Kingdom	6,373	Sunk
7 June 1917	Yuba	Norway	1,458	Sunk
11 June 1917	Sigrun	Norway	2,538	Sunk
16 June 1917	Carrie Hervey	United Kingdom	111	Sunk
21 June 1917	Ortona	United Kingdom	5,524	Sunk
26 June 1917	Vonin	Denmark	104	Sunk

References

Notes

^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
^ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 50". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
^ Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Gerhard Berger". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Largest ships". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 50". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

Bibliography

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.