Submarine Losses in the Mediterranean

The following table is courtesy of Erwin Sieche (erwin.sieche@sbausparkasse.co.at). The sources consulted are listed at the bottom. Erwin notes that:

I am especially indebted to Admiral Attilio Duilio Raineri, Italian Navy (ret.), for providing information and corrections.

Note that putting a hyphen between letter and number is US practice; the Germans only left a blank. Historically correct is U 21 instead of U-21. The same rule is for much of the European ships with numbers, like British submarines (e.g. E 21 instead of E-21, Italian subs e.g. W. 4, Italian MAS boats; also all other German designations, eg. for destroyers or torpedo boats, eg. Z 38 or Z 38). The hyphen came into German literature by bad translations from US books.

Further information from Erwin Sieche:

Imperial Germany had sent submarines to the Mediterranean, but in 1915 it was not at war with Italy. It was only a matter of time until the first problems of international law occurred. Therefore it was decided to enlist the German submarines operating in the Mediterranean formally into the Austro-Hungarian navy and they should fly the A.-H. flag when attacking. The A.-H. boat numbers are given in brackets.

Austro-Hungarian submarine losses
Date lost	Number, name	Captain	Casualties	Position, Location	Event
12/ August 1915	U 12	Lerch, Egon	17, all	ca 42° 12'N / 18° 57E, Venice lagoon, near Punta Sabbioni	while trying to intrude in Venice harbour intercepted by Italian gun boat Brondolo and lured into mine field; raised by the Italians; scrapped.
13/ August 1915	U 3	Strnad, Karl	10, including captain; 12 POWs	41°N/18°15'E, Otranto Straits	attacked 12.8. Italian AMC Citta di Catania unsuccessfully, rammed by AMC, damaged; next day detected by French destroyer Bisson and sunk by gunfire.
13/ May 1916	U 6	Falkhausen, Hugo von	none; 20 POWs	ca. 40° 10'N/18° 45'E, Otranto Straits	caught in the Otanto Barrage nets; when HM trawlers Calistoga, Dulcie Dory and Evening Star II neared scuttled by own crew.
17/ October 1916	U 16	Zopa, Orest Ritter von	2; 14 POWs including captain	40°08'N/19°30°E off Strade Bianche	torpedoed Italian destroyer Nembo, surfaced right under the escorted steamer Bormida and damaged irreparably.
April 17	U 30	Faehndrich, Friedrich	21, all	unknown, missing without trace	probably lost in the Otranto Straits
16/ May 1917	U 5	Schlosser, Friedrich	6	Fasana Channel, between Istria Peninsula and Brioni Islands	hit Italian mine during diving exercise after general refit; raised on 23.6.from 20 m; rebuilt and recommissioned 27.8.1918.
21/ February 1918	U 23	Bézard, Klemens Ritter von	21, all	40°26'N/19°2'E	attacked Italian troop transport Memfi and was sunk by escorting Italian torpedo boat Airone by explosive sweep.
4/ July 1918	U 20	Mueller, Ludwig	18, all	45°49'N/13°15'2"E, off Grado	torpedoed by Italian submarine F 12. Raised in 1962, scrapped; tower is on display at the Vienna Military Museum.
7/ July 1918	U 10	Ulmansky, Johann von	none	ca. 45°33'N/12°48'E off Caorle	minehit, beached damaged; on 25.7. salvaged and towed to Trieste but never repaired and recommissioned.
German submarine losses in the Mediterranean including the Black Sea
May 1915	UB 3	Schmidt	14, all	unknown, missing without trace	left Cattaro on 23.5. as supply submarine for Turkey, lost without trace.
29/ November 1915	UC 13 (= U 25)	Kirchner	none - all survived	41°09'N/30°30'E; Black Sea, Anatolia, Sakaria estuary	beached due to compass failure in bad weather.
16/ March 1916	UC 12 ( = U 24)	Froehner	15, all	ca. 40°27'N/17°11'E, off Taranto harbour	lost after explosion of own mine; raised by the Italians from 31 m depth, from the 12 mines carried on board 8 were cleared by the Italians, 2 still were on board; the Italians found a German signal book with 3-letter-codes and an A.-H. radio cipher.
August 16	UB 44 (U 44)	Waeger	19, all	unknown, missing without trace	left Cattaro on 4.8. together with UB 42 (U 42), bound for Constantinople, lost without trace.
September 16	UB 7	Luetjohann	15, all	44°30N/33°15'E; off Chersones light house; Black Sea	bombed by Russian float plane.
6/ November 1916	UB 45 (= U 45)	Palis	14 dead, 5 survivors	43°12'N/28°09'E; Black Sea off Varna	minehit when leaving Varna harbour. Raised by Bulgaria in 1936.
7. December 1916 (?)	UB 46(=U 46)	Bauer	20, all	Black Sea	probably mine ****)
24/ May 1917	UC 24 (= U 88)	Willich	24 dead, 2 survivors	42°06'N/18°19'E off Cattaro	when sailing from Cattaro together with UC 74 torpedoed by French sub Circé.
14/ December 1917	UC 38 (= U 78)	Wendlandt	9 dead, 9 survivors	38°15'N/22°22'E; Gulf of Cefalonia	after sinking the French cruiser Chateaurenault sunk by escorting destroyers Mameluck and Lansquenet.
08-09/ January 1918	UB 69 (= U 69)	Klatt	31, all	37°30'N/10°38'E; nw Cape Bon	fouled by explosive sweep of HM sloop Cyclamen.
18/ January 1918	UB 66 (= U 66)	Wernicke	30, all	38°30'N/24°25'E;	depth charged by HM sloop Campanula after attempting convoy attack.
21/ April 1918	UB 71 (= U 71)	Schapler	32, all	35°58'/05°18'E; off Ceuta, Almina Point	depth charged by HMS ML-413.
8/ May 1918	UB 70 (= U 70)	Remy, Johannes	34, all	est. 36°00'N/05°15'W	gunned by HM destroyer Basilisk and US steamer Queensland.
8/ May 1918	U 32 (=U 37)	Albrecht	41, all	36°0'N/13°28'E	en route from Germany to Cattaro; depth charged by HM sloop Wallflower.
16/ May 1918	UC 35 (= U 75)	Korsch	about 39°48'N/07°42'E; off Sardinia	gunned by French patrol vessel Ailly
24/ May 1918	UB 52 (= U 83)	Launburg, Otto	34 dead, 2 survivors (POW)	41°46'N/18°35'E	returning home to Cattaro torpedoed by HM submarine H 4 (Owen)
17/ June 1918	U 64 (= U 64)	Moraht	38, all	38°07'N/12°07'E	depth charged, gunned and rammed by HM sloop Lychnis
3/ August 1918	UB 53 (= U 84)	Sprenger	10 dead, 9 saved by HM Ships Martin, Whitby Abbey	39°58'N/19°01'E; off Cattaro	fouled in net barrage, 2 minehits, scuttled after surfacing
4/ October 1918	UB 68 (=U 68)	Doenitz, Karl)	4 dead, others survived	35°56'N/16°20'E; 120 m east Malta	after attack on British convoy off Malta sunk by gunfire of HM Ships Snapdragoon and Cradosin.
****) the wreck was dug out (!) in about 1996 in a Turkish coal mine situated in a landed bay; bought by a Turkish businessman, it is said to be displayed at Istanbul; precise details lacking.
Italian submarine losses in the Mediterranean
10/ June 1915	Medusa	Vitturi, Alessando	14 dead, 5 survivors picked up by UB 15	ca. 45°34'N/12°41'E off Porto di Piave Vecchia, near Venice	torpedoed by UB 15 (v. Heimburg)
5/ August 1915	Nereide	Del Greco, Carlo	20, all	42°23'17"/16°15'45"E; off Pelagosa Island	torpedoed by U 5 (v. Trapp); raised in 1972 by Yugoslav salvage firm BRODOSPAS.
17/ August 1915	Jalea	Giovannini, Ernesto	19 dead, 1 survivor	ca. 45°38'N/13°31'E, Gulf of Trieste	hit A.-H. mine
14/ July 1916	Balilla	Farinata degli Uberti, Tolosetto Paolo	all	ca 43°10'N/16°10'E, off Lissa Island	sunk by gunfire from A.-H. torpedo boats 65, 66.
31/ July 1916	Giacinto Pullino	degli Uberti, Ubaldo	none	ca. 44°42'N/14°10'E, off Istria, Galiola cliff	ran aground due to navigation error; next day salvaged by A.-H. but sunk when in tow *). Raised on 28.2.1931 by Italian Navy, scrapped.
10/ March 1917	Alberto Guglielmotti	Castiglioni, Guido	14, all	east of Corsica, near Capraia Island	accidently attacked by HM Sloop
1/ August 1917	W. 4	Giaccone, Alessando	22, all	unknown, missing without trace	probably lost due to mine hit in the coastal waters between Cattaro and Durazzo
26/ November 1917	Zoea		none	off Rimini	beached as a result of bad weather; towed to Venice on 1.12. for repairs.
28/ November 1917	Galileo Ferraris	Montella	none	off Magnavacca (Porto Garibaldi)	beached as a result of bad weather; salvaged in January 1918
15/ April 1918	H. 5	Quentin	5 survivors	off Cattaro	accidentally torpedoed by HM submarine H 1 (Owen).
* as a pilot on board was the Austrian subject Nazario Sauro. He was executed as traitor by the Austrians and is glorified by the Italians as a national martyr.
French submarine losses in the Mediterranean including Dardanelles
20/ December 1914	Curie (Q 87)	O'Byrne, Gabriel		entrance to Pola harbor	trapped in the outer barrage net of Pola; when forced to surface gunned by A.-H. destroyer Satellit.**)
15/ January 1915	Saphir (Q 44)	Fournier, Henri	10; 13 POWs	Dardanelles Narrows	damaged by accidental grounding at 200 feet; gunned by Turkish shore batteries and scuttled by her officers.
1/ May 1915	Joule (Q 84)	Dupetit-Thouars de Saint Georges, Aubert	all	Dardanelles Narrows, off Kephez	probably lost by minehit
26/ July 1915	Mariotte (Q 74)	Fabre	none; all POWs	Dardanelles Narrows, off Chanak (Canakkale)	damaged by accidental grounding; gunned by Turkish shore batteries and scuttled by her officers.
15/ September 1915	Foucault (Q 70)	Dévin, Léon Henri	27 POWs	off Cattaro	bombed by A.-H. sea planes L 132 and L 135.
30/ October 1915	Turquoise (Q 46)	Ravenel, Léon	none; all POWs	Dardanelles Narrows	grounded on a shoal; damaged by Turkish gunfire, beached; captured by the Turkish, renamed Mustecip Ombashi, but not commissioned.
5/ December 1915	Frésnel (Q 65)	Jouen	none; 27 POWs	ca. 41°52'N/19°22'E, Bojana esturary	stranded because of bad navigation; destroyed by gunfire of A.-H. destroyer Warasdiner.
30/ December 1915	Monge (Q 67)	Morillot, Roland	1 (captain); 16 POWs	ca. 42° 11'N/18°24'E, off Durazzo	rammed by A.-H. cruiser Helgoland, when surfaced gunned by destroyer Balaton and finally scuttled by her captain.***)
13/ February 1918	Bernouilli (Q 83)	Audry		ca. 42° 16'N/18°30'E, off Cattaro	minehit
2/ August 1918	Floréal (Q 54)			off Mudros	collision with HM armed boarding steamer Hazel.
20/ September 1918	Circé (Q 47)	Viaud	all minus 1; 1 POW	about 41°39'N/19°25'E 7 miles nw Cape Rodoni	torpedoed by A.-H. U 47 (Seyffertitz).
*) raised by the Austrians and commissioned as U 14; became one of the most successful A.-H. subs; in 1919 returned to France, renamed Curie;* condemned on 29.3.1928. **) in 1947 the French named the ex-German type XXI sub U 2518* after Morillot.
British submarines lost in the Mediterranean including the Dardanelles
17/ April 1915	E 15	Brodie, T. S.	3 including captain	Kephes Bay; Gallipoli Peninsula	grounded; numerous attempts were made to destroy the wreck to prevent it falling into Turkish hands. Scrapped in 1920.
30/ April 1915	AE 2 (Australian)	Stoker, H. G.	none; all POWs	40°31'30"N/27°18'E Sea of Marmara, north of Kara Burnu	gunned by Turkish torpedo boat Sultan Hissar.
5/ September 1915	E 7	Cochrane, A. D.	none; all POWs	40°13'N/26°25'E, Nagara Point; Dardanelles Narrows	caught in barrage net; depth charged by UB 14 (v. Heimburg); scuttled by crew.
5/ November 1915	E 20	Warren, C. H.	9 survivors including captain	Sea of Marmara	torpedoed by UB 14 (v. Heimburg)
9/ August 1916	B 10	Tomkinson, Wilfrid	none	Naval Arsenal Venice	bombed by A.-H. air raid; salvaged 23.8., sold for scrap.
28/January 1918	E 14	White, G. S.	9 survivors, taken POW	Dardanelles Narrow, near Chanak (Canakkale)	sunk by Turkish gunfire

Sources

Aichelburg, Wladimir: Die Unterseeboote Oesterreich-ungarns, 2 vols, Graz 1981;
Bagnasco, Erminio/Rastelli, Achille: Navi E Marinai Italiani Nella Grande Guerra, Parma 1997;
Bravetta, Ettore: La Grande Guerra Sul Mare, 2 vols, Milano 1925;
Ferrante, Ezio: La Grande Guerra In Adriatico, Roma 1987;
Gardiner, Robert (ed.): Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921, London 1985;
Grant, Robert M.: U-boat Intelligence 1914-1918, London 1969;
Halpern, Paul G.: The Naval War In The Mediterranean 1914-1918, USNIP Annapolis, Ma., USA, 1987;
Herzog, Bodo/Schoemaekers, Guenther: Ritter Der Tiefe - Graue Woelfe - Die Erfolgreichsten U-bootkommandanten Der Welt, Munich 1965;
His Majesty's Stationery Office, London (ed.): British Vessels Lost At Sea 1914-18, reprint London 1977;
Mantey, Eberhard von (ed.): Der Krieg Zur See 1914-1918, Berlin
Spindler, Arno: Der Handelskrieg Mit U-booten, in vol. 2: Februar bis September 1915, Berlin 1933;
Mayer, Horst Friedrich/Winkler, Dieter: Als Die Schiffe Tauchen Lernten - Die Geschichte der k.u.k. Unterseeboot-Waffe, Vienna 1997;
Pawlik, Georg/Baumgartner, Lothar: S.m. Unterseeboote, Graz 1986;
Sokol, Hans Hugo: �sterreich-ungarns Seekrieg 1914 - 1918, 2 vols, Reprint Graz 1973;
Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare (ed.): I Sommergibili Italiani 1895-1971; Roma 1971;
Wilson, Michael/Kemp, Paul: Mediterranean Submarines - Submarine Warfare In World War One, Manchester, 1997.

Comment:

The reader consulting all these books will note that they differ in some points. Without going back to the original files it is not possibly to find out the historical throuth after eighty years. It is also remarkable that the firstnames of some of the submarine commanders are not told in the above mentioned naval reference books. In some cases we do not even know their family names.

Last Updated: 28 February, 2000.

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