SM U-35 was a German U 31-class U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 220 merchant ships for a total of .
Her longest-serving captain was Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière. Under his command, U-35 sank 191 ships, making him the most successful submarine commander in history.
Design Type U 31 submarines were double-hulled ocean-going submarines similar to Type 23 and Type 27 subs in dimensions and differed only slightly in propulsion and speed. They were considered very good high seas boats with average manoeuvrability and good surface steering.
U-35 had an overall length of , her pressure hull was long. The boat's beam was (o/a), while the pressure hull measured . Type 31s had a draught of with a total height of . The boats displaced a total of ; when surfaced and when submerged.
U-35 was fitted with two Germania 6-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines with a total of for use on the surface and two Siemens-Schuckert double-acting electric motors with a total of for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts each with a propeller, which gave the boat a top surface speed of , and when submerged. Cruising range was at on the surface, and at under water. Diving depth was .
The U-boat was armed with four torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, with carried 6 torpedoes. In 1915 U-35 was equipped with a Uk L/30 deck gun, which was replaced with a gun in 1916–17. The boat's complement was 4 officers and 31 enlisted men.
Service history U-35s keel was laid on 20 December 1912 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel. Its delivery date was supposed to be 1 March 1914, but it was delayed due to development problems with its diesel engines. U-35 officially entered service on 3 November 1914, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Waldemar Kophamel. The lead engineer was Hans Fechter. It sailed with the II Flottille, stationed in Heligoland.
U-35 completed its first two deployments in reconnaissance actions in the North Sea. In its following three actions, U-35 sunk 17 merchant ships, for a total of . Later, it was paired with after a battle near Cattaro, Montenegro, and sunk two merchant ships for a total of . U-35 made two more voyages and destroyed 13 more merchant ships totaling . These included on 23 October 1915 the British transport in the Aegean Sea. She was carrying an Ammunition Column of the 29th Division; and also staff of the 1st New Zealand Stationary Hospital, despite a British hospital ship Grantully Castle sailing on the same route on the same day.Cloud over Marquette by J M Smith (1990, Auckland NZ)
On 9 November 1915, with the help of sister U-34, U-35 sank the SS Californian, a cargo ship best known for its inaction during the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912, despite being the closest ship in the area. U-35 delivered a coup-de-grace after U-34 had attacked Californian earlier. She was under tow from a French patrol boat when U-35 moved in to finish her off. Coincidentally, U-35 would also come within close proximity of the ill-fated Titanic'''s sister ship RMS Olympic on an unknown date in 1916, but "conditions made attack impossible."
On 13 November 1915, Kptlt. de la Perière took command of U-35. He led 15 missions, primarily in the Mediterranean, and sank 187 merchant ships for a total of . Additionally, U-35 sank the British gunboat on 29 February 1916 and the French gunboat Rigel on 2 October 1916.
On 26 February 1916, she successfully torpedoed and sank the armed merchant cruiser , carrying 1,800 French troops, near Cerigo Island with a loss of 990 men.
On 21 June 1916, U-35 anchored at Cartagena, Spain, off the port side of the Spanish Navy armored cruiser while delivering a message from the Emperor of Germany, Wilhelm II, to Spain's King Alfonso XIII. U-35 put back to sea on 22 June.U-35s fourteenth patrol (26 July to 20 August 1916) under de la Perière stands as the most successful submarine patrol of all time. During that period, 54 merchant ships totaling were sunk.
She also sank the French transport ship on 4 October 1916, leading to the death of between 600 and 1,800 men.Kptlt. Ernst von Voigt took command of U-35 on 17 March 1918. He undertook two patrols, an enemy engagement and a redeployment cruise, between 7 September and 9 October 1918, but both were promptly broken off because of engine damage. On 14 October 1918, Kptlt. Heino von Heimburg took command and U-35 was transferred to Kiel.
Fate After World War I ended, U-35 was transferred to the United Kingdom and docked in Blyth from 1919 to 1920, then broken up.
Summary of raiding history
+Ships sunk or damaged by SM U-35DateNameNationality Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement Tonnage FateBlackwood1,230SunkGris Nez208SunkHyndford4,286DamagedLaila748SunkCubano4,352SunkGeorge & Mary100SunkSunlight1,433SunkTrudvang1,041SunkExpress115SunkLa Liberte302SunkStrathcarron4,347SunkSusannah115SunkThomasina1,869SunkBellglade664SunkCrown of India2,034SunkDiamant324SunkHopemount3,300SunkPelham3,534SunkBaltzer343DamagedFrancois2,212SunkMorna1,512SunkRavitailleur2,815SunkRamazan3,477SunkLinkmoor4,306SunkScilla1,220Sunk7,057SunkWoolwich2,936Sunk1,862SunkAbbas298SunkNour-el-bahr450DamagedCaria3,032Sunk4,835SunkLumina6,218SunkMoorina4,994SunkDen of Crombie4,949SunkSir Richard Awdry2,234Sunk3,521Sunk6,223SunkSutherland3,542SunkMarere6,443SunkTrematon4,198Sunk13,753SunkGiava2,755SunkMasunda4,952SunkHMS Primula1,250SunkMinneapolis13,543SunkMaria C.77SunkMotia500SunkSan Francesco Di Paola43SunkAntonia V132SunkGiosue20SunkS. Francesco28SunkTavolara701SunkAdelina170SunkAnnette112SunkAudace144SunkS. Maria515SunkSardinia1,119SunkDolmetta M48SunkEra1,078SunkEufrasia71SunkGafsa3,922SunkRondine112SunkPoviga3,360SunkAquila2,191SunkBeachy4,718SunkOlga2,964SunkRona1,312SunkFrance Et Russie329SunkMario C.398SunkGiuseppina1,872SunkHerault2,299SunkCanford Chine2,398SunkChecchina184SunkDaiyetsu Maru3,184SunkSan Francesco1,060SunkSaturnina Fanny1,568SunkClara5,503SunkFournel2,047SunkMongibello4,059SunkPino1,677SunkRoma2,491SunkWindermere2,292SunkCarlo Alberto312SunkGiuseppina214SunkTeano1,907SunkDandolo4,977SunkBritannic3,487SunkEthelbryhta3,084SunkGiuseppe Marta111SunkKatholm1,324SunkCitta Di Messina2,464SunkEinar135SunkEmilio G.166SunkErling122SunkGenerale Ameglio222SunkHeighington2,800SunkEugenia550SunkNeptune151SunkTricoupis2,387SunkFavonian3,049SunkSiena4,372SunkTeti2,868SunkTottenham3,106SunkAchilleus843SunkMount Coniston3,018SunkNewburn3,554SunkTrident3,129SunkImperial3,818SunkSpeme1,229SunkAntiope2,973SunkGanekogorta Mendi3,061SunkSebastiano3,995SunkTemmei Maru3,360SunkPagasarri3,287SunkGina443SunkNereus3,980SunkRegina Pacis2,228SunkSaint Gaetan (aux)125SunkBalmoral2,542SunkEurasia1,898SunkFrancesco Saverio214SunkIvar2,139SunkEmilia319SunkFrancesca161SunkHenriette B.176SunkIda242SunkLavinia243SunkLouis B.212SunkPausania107SunkRosario188SunkS. Francesco Di Paola S.113SunkSan Giovanni Battista1,066SunkS. Giuseppe Patriarca63SunkAugusta523SunkCandida Altieri282SunkVergine Di Pompei146SunkMadre665SunkSwedish Prince3,712SunkErix923SunkDoride1,250SunkTeresa270SunkGaribaldi1,374SunkGiovanni Zambelli2,485SunkCharterhouse3,021SunkBronwen4,250SunkBufjord2,284SunkNicolo5,466SunkBenpark3,842SunkNewby2,168SunkRoddam3,218SunkStathe2,623SunkRallas1,752SunkSecondo3,912SunkVindeggen2,610SunkVenus3,976SunkRigel1,250SunkSamos1,186SunkBirk715Sunk14,966SunkAurora2,806SunkVera2,308Sunk2,555SunkSalvatore Padre200SunkHudworth3,966SunkMohacsfield3,678SunkAndoni3,188SunkLynfield3,023SunkAssunta132SunkLyman M. Law1,300SunkPercy Roy110SunkMery178SunkOceania4,217SunkBuranda3,651DamagedOriana3,132SunkPrudenza3,307SunkPierre Hubert112SunkGiuseppe1,856SunkGuido T324SunkSkogland3,264SunkLonghirst3,053SunkMont Viso4,820DamagedDorothy3,806SunkPrikonisos3,537SunkArdgask4,542SunkMarguerite1,553SunkParkgate3,232SunkMaplewood3,239SunkMiss Morris156SunkIndia2,933SunkGiuseppe Accame3,224SunkOdysseus3,463SunkStromboli5,466SunkPatagonier3,832SunkPanaghi Drakatos2,734SunkBrisbane River4,989SunkCorfu3,695SunkFernmoor3,098SunkTrekieve3,087SunkSowwell3,781SunkLeasowe Castle9,737DamagedLowdale2,260SunkNentmoor3,535SunkBandiera E Moro2,086SunkBien Aime Prof. Luigi265SunkNordsøen1,055SunkTorvore1,667SunkVilhelm Krag3,715SunkTriana748DamagedAlavi3,627SunkDespina G. Michalinos2,851SunkDoris3,979SunkLilla2,819SunkHMS City Of Belfast1,055DamagedLorenzo2,498SunkIkoma Maru3,048SunkFannie Prescott404SunkNamur6,694SunkCambric3,403SunkMaria Di Porto Salvo91SunkSan Francesco Di Paola G.91SunkPersier3,874SunkFiscus4,782SunkWaverley3,853SunkPietro3,860SunkTurnbridge2,874SunkArgo3,071SunkCliftondale3,811SunkNordpol2,053SunkHumberto274SunkPytheas2,690SunkKerman4,397DamagedMarconi7,402DamagedDaiten Maru4,555SunkBegona No.41,850SunkSilverdale3,835Sunk Sunk:Damaged:Total:538,50036,889575,389
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
Eberhard Rössler: Geschichte des deutschen U-Bootbaus – Band 1. Bernard & Graefe Verlag 1996, Bodo Herzog: Deutsche U-Boote 1906-1966''. Manfred Pawlak Verlags GmbH, Herrschingen 1990,
External links
Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918. Great photo quality, comments in German. A 44 min. film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35. A German propaganda film without dead or wounded; many details about submarine warfare in World War I. In 6 parts.
Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.