SMS ''Vulkan'' was a U-boat salvage tug in the Kaiserliche Marine 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 served as salvage officer on ''Vulkan'' in early 1911. On 17 January 1911, he and the crew saved all 30 men from SM U-3 (Germany), ''U-3'' by rescuing them via a torpedo tube after it sank near Kiel harbour in Heikendorfer Bay because of an unclosed ventilation shaft valve. Amongst the saved crew was Otto Weddigen, the later commander of and Paul Clarrendorf, 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 United Kingdom, British forces together with the larger salvage tug . It sank en route to Harwich 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