WWI U-boats

U 39

Type U 31
ShipyardGermaniawerft, Kiel (Werk 199)
Ordered 12 Jun 1912
Laid down 27 Mar 1913
Launched 26 Sep 1914
Commissioned 13 Jan 1915
Commanders
13 Jan 1915 - 9 Feb 1915 Kptlt. Hans Kratzsch
11 Feb 1915 - 14 Oct 1917 Kptlt. Walter Forstmann (Pour le Mérite)
15 Oct 1917 - 18 May 1918 Kptlt. Heinrich Metzger
Career 19 patrols
unknown start - 15 Sep 1915 II Flotilla
15 Sep 1915 - 18 May 1918 Pola/Mittelmeer I Flotilla
Successes153 ships sunk with a total of 405,035 tons.
7 ships damaged with a total of 30,552 tons.
1 ship taken as prize with a total of 798 tons.
1 warship sunk with a total of 1,290 tons. (View ships hit by U 39)
Fate 18 May 1918 - Interned at Cartagena, Spain after being damaged by French aircraft that same day. Surrendered to France on 22 Mar 1919 and was broken up at Toulon in 1923.. 2 dead and 40 survivors.

There was another U 39 in World War Two
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 22 Sep 1938 and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 10 Dec 1938. Take a look at U 39 from WWII.


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