SMS ''Vulkan'' was a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

salvage tug A salvage tug, known also historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground. Overview Few tugbo ...

in the

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

laid down in 1907 and commissioned in 1908. The ship displaced 1595 tons and had a top speed of 12 knots. The famous U-boat commander

Max Valentiner Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner (15 December 1883 – 19 July 1949) was a German U-boat commander during World War I. He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite for his achievem ...

served as salvage officer on ''Vulkan'' in early 1911. On 17 January 1911, he and the crew saved all 30 men from ''U-3'' by rescuing them via a

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed abo ...

after it sank near

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...

harbour in Heikendorfer Bay because of an unclosed ventilation shaft valve. Amongst the saved crew was

Otto Weddigen Otto Eduard Weddigen (15 September 1882 – 18 March 1915) was an Imperial German Navy U-boat commander during World War I. He was awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest honour, for sinking four British warships. Biography and car ...

, the later commander of and

Paul Clarrendorf Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, the commander of ''U-boot-Abnahme-Kommando'' in Kiel which enlisted U-boat crews. Howaldtswerke nr473-1

''Vulkan'' is also famous for salvaging two U-boats, on 27 August 1915 and on 17 September 1917. At the end of World War One on 11 November 1918 the vessel surrendered to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

forces together with the larger salvage tug . It sank en route to

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton- ...

on 6 April 1919 in position .

External links

u-boot-net.de webpage about SMS Vulkan
(in German)
max-valentiner.dk webpage about Max Valentiner and salvage of U-3 in 1911
(in Danish) Auxiliary ships of the Imperial German Navy World War I auxiliary ships of Germany Shipwrecks in the North Sea 1907 ships Maritime incidents in 1919 Ships built in Kiel {{Germany-mil-ship-stub

See also

External links