SM U-52 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-52 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
U-52 was noted for sinking two notable warships, the first notable warship (and second kill) being the Royal Navy's light cruiser , sunk in the North Sea on 19 August 1916 at . Thirty-eight men were lost. The sinking of Nottingham was an important event in the German Imperial Navy's action of August 19. At that time Otto Ciliax was watch officer on board the submarine. He later became an admiral in the Kriegsmarine.
U-52s second notable warship kill was the French battleship , sunk west of Portugal at . on 26 November 1916. All 648 men were lost as the torpedo ignited a magazine and the ship sank within seconds.
U-52 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. She was sold by the British Admiralty to George Cohen on 3 March 1919 for £2,400 (£ in ) (excluding her engines), and was broken up at Swansea.
One of the ordinary seamen on board U-52 was Julius Schopka (1896–1965). After the war he emigrated to Iceland and became an Icelandic citizen. In 1928, together with Icelandic journalist Árni Óla he published his memoirs from the war years, in Icelandic, Kafbátahernaðurinn (The Submarine Warfare). That book was in turn used by Icelandic author Illugi Jökulsson when he published the book Úr undirdjúpunum til Íslands — Julius Schopka, U-52 og heimsstyrjöldin fyrri (From the Depths to Iceland — Julius Schopka, U-52 and the First World War) in 2019. Illugi also used the unpublished memoirs of Hans Walther, who was captain of the U-52 for most of her operational time.
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate11 July 1916HMT Onward266Sunk19 August 19165,400Sunk26 September 1916526Sunk26 September 1916HMT Sarah Alice299Sunk26 September 1916St. Gothard2,788Sunk25 November 1916Egyptiana3,818Damaged25 November 1916Suffren12,750Sunk10 December 1916Emma Laurans2,153Sunk30 March 1917Michelina Catalano78Sunk4 April 1917Missourian7,924Sunk4 April 1917Ravenna4,101Sunk5 April 1917Angel Marina257Sunk7 April 1917Seward2,471Sunk8 April 1917Alba1,639Sunk9 April 1917Esterel2,574Sunk11 April 1917Ansgar301Sunk12 April 1917Glencliffe3,673Sunk14 April 1917Tres Macs163Sunk15 April 1917Cabo Blanco2,163Damaged16 April 1917Crios4,116Sunk19 April 1917Senhora Da Conceicao206Sunk20 April 1917Caithness3,500Sunk21 April 1917HMS Heather1,250Damaged23 April 1917Acadia1,556Sunk6 July 1917Flora818Sunk9 July 1917Prince Abbas2,030Sunk11 July 1917Vanda1,646Sunk12 July 1917Fredrika1,851Sunk17 July 1917321Sunk20 August 1917Bulysses6,127Sunk1 September 1917Tarapaca2,506Sunk2 September 1917Wentworth3,828Sunk4 September 1917Peerless3,112Sunk5 September 1917Echunga6,285Sunk5 September 1917San Dunstano6,220Damaged11 September 1917Tobol3,741Sunk16 August 1918HMT Fylde256Damaged
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