SM ''U-41'') and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''., group=Note was one of the 329
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s serving in the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. ''U-41'' engaged in
naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
and took part in the
First Battle of the Atlantic
The Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I (sometimes called the "First Battle of the Atlantic", in reference to the World War II campaign of that name) was the prolonged naval conflict between German submarines and the Allied navies in Atla ...
.
Design
German Type U 31 submarine
Type U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.
Between 1912 and 1915 eleven were built on Germaniawerft in Kiel, amongst these top-three-scoring with the famous Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière as comm ...
s were
double-hulled
A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some dis ...
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 sea boats with average manoeuvrability and good surface steering.
''U-41'' 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-41'' was fitted with two
Germania
Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north-c ...
6-cylinder two-stroke
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...
s with a total of for use on the surface and two
Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966.
Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & H ...
double-acting
electric motors
An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate forc ...
with a total of for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts each with a
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
, 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 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 aboa ...
s, two fitted in the
bow and two in the
stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Or ...
, and carried 6
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...
es. Additionally ''U-41'' was equipped in 1915 with one
Uk L/30 deck gun
A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret.
The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...
.
The boat's
complement
A complement is something that completes something else.
Complement may refer specifically to:
The arts
* Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave
** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...
was 4 officers and 31 enlisted.
Fate
''U-41'' was sunk by British
Q-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open f ...
on 24 September 1915 in the
Second Baralong Incident. At this stage in the war, U-boat commanders were under orders to scrupulously observe the
rules of war
The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (''jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territo ...
(the "cruiser rules"). After spotting merchant targets, submarines surfaced nearby, boarded the ships, and searched for contraband. This prevented the sinking of neutral vessels, but exposed the submarines to great risk.
SS ''Urbino''
After stopping
merchantman
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...
''Urbino'', ''U-41'' sent a
boarding party
''Boarding Party'' is a solitaire science fiction board game published by Task Force Games in 1982 that simulates a boarding party of humans trying to deactivate a killer spaceship.
Description
''Boarding Party'' is a solitaire microgame in whic ...
aboard to inspect the cargo. After finding war material on board, the Germans put the merchant crew off the ship in the lifeboats. ''U-41'' was in the process of sinking ''Urbino'' with gunfire when (in the guise of the American-flagged merchantman ''Baralong'') arrived on the scene, flying an American flag. When ''U-41'' approached, ''Wyandra'', fired on and sank the U-boat without striking the American flag. This was a violation of the rules of war; while the use of a
False Flag
A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
was allowed,
it was required that a belligerent identify itself before initiating hostilities.
The event generated widespread outrage in Germany, especially among ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' officers. The sinking was also commemorated in a propaganda medal designed by the German
medallist
A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually ...
Karl Goetz.
Summary of raiding history
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
External links
*
Historic England project to research First World War Submarine wrecks*Howell, D; Croce, P (2014
'UB-41 and UB 75, off Robin Hood's bay: Marine Geophysical Survey Report' Wessex Archaeology
SS Urbino Wreck Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:U0041
World War I submarines of Germany
German Type U 31 submarines
1914 ships
Ships built in Kiel
U-boats commissioned in 1915
Maritime incidents in 1915
U-boats sunk in 1915
U-boats sunk by British warships
World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean