Hans Joachim Emsmann

Oberleutnant zur See (Crew 4/10)

Successes
26 ships sunk with a total of 11,624 GRT
3 ships damaged with a total of 3,323 GRT

Born:	20 Jun 1892	Kiel
Died:	28 Oct 1918	Scapa Flow

Photo. Deutsches U-Boot Museum

Ranks

1 Apr 1910		Seekadett
15 Apr 1911		Fähnrich zur See
31 Jan 1914		Leutnant zur See
22 Mar 1916		Oberleutnant zur See

Decorations

		Iron Cross 2nd class
		Hanseatic Cross

U-boat Commands

UB 10	28 Feb 1918	-	17 May 1918
UB 40	18 May 1918	-	31 Jul 1918
UB 116	5 Oct 1918	-	28 Oct 1918 (+)

Notes

Apart from a brief sortie forth, during the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the German High Seas Fleet had spent the war bottled up in port. Towards the end of October 1918, as peace negotiations were taking place, the higher echelons of the Imperial German Navy, in what they saw they saw as an attempt to restore their honour, planned an all-out attack on the British Grand Fleet. The plan called for twenty-four U-boats to carry out certain tasks before the High Seas Fleet put to sea.

On 25 October 1918 submarine UB-116 left Heliogoland under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Joachim Emsmann, friend and classmate of Robert Ramm at the German Naval Academy and brother of Ramm’s wife Gerda. Emsmann’s task was to enter the British Naval Base at Scapa Flow, Scotland, off the north coast of Scotland, and attack larger ships, so as to weaken the British fleet prior to the attack by the German High Seas Fleet.

On 28 October Emsmann’s submarine entered Hoxa Sound, Scapa Flow. The British had laid a minefield in Hoxa Sound. The minefield had underwater microphones called hydrophones, allowing shore-based operators to pick up the sound of an approaching submarine. UB-116 was picked up by hydrophone at 2121. At 2332 an electrical cable laid in loops on the seabed sent a signal to a device called a galvanometer, indicating the UB-116 was in the minefield. The operator flipped a switch and a row of mines exploded. The next morning the surface was covered with oil and air bubbles were rising steadily. Patrol boats dropped depth charges that brought debris to the surface, including a jacket. British divers visited the wreck on 29 October and on 4 November they returned and recovered UB-116’s logbook.

Hans Joachim Emsmann and all of his crew were killed. Within the space of nine days Gerda Ramm had lost her husband and her brother. Due to mutinies on board the ships of the High Seas Fleet the German surface ships were unable to put to sea.

Text written by Mr. Philip Lecane, taken from his book Torpedoed!

Ships hit by Hans Joachim Emsmann

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Type of ship	Tons

26 May 1918	UB 40	Dayspring	Fishing vessel (smack)	57	br
26 May 1918	UB 40	Eclipse	Fishing vessel (smack)	47	br
26 May 1918	UB 40	Fortuna	Fishing vessel (smack)	61	br
31 May 1918	UB 40	Alert	Sailing vessel	59	br
3 Jun 1918	UB 40	Antiope (d.)	Steamer	3,004	br
6 Jun 1918	UB 40	Active	Fishing vessel (smack)	57	br
6 Jun 1918	UB 40	Beryl	Fishing vessel (smack)	57	br
6 Jun 1918	UB 40	Dianthus	Fishing vessel	51	br
29 Jun 1918	UB 40	Grekland	Steamer	2,751	sw
29 Jun 1918	UB 40	Florentia	Steamer	3,688	br
1 Jul 1918	UB 40	Charing Cross	Steamer	2,534	br
2 Jul 1918	UB 40	Admiral	tug	102	br
2 Jul 1918	UB 40	Madeleine (d.)	Sailing vessel	158	fr
2 Jul 1918	UB 40	Nord	Barge	409	fr
7 Jul 1918	UB 40	Aby	Fishing vessel	15	br
7 Jul 1918	UB 40	Albion	Fishing vessel	22	br
7 Jul 1918	UB 40	Leeds (d.)	Trawler	161	br
26 Jul 1918	UB 40	Boy Jack	Fishing vessel (smack)	57	br
26 Jul 1918	UB 40	Godesgenage	Fishing vessel	40	be
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Counsellor	Fishing vessel (smack)	56	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Fear Not	Fishing vessel (smack)	59	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	I’ll Try	Fishing vessel (smack)	51	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Kirkham Abbey	Steamer	1,166	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Le Bijou	Fishing vessel (smack)	46	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Paragon	Fishing vessel (smack)	56	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Passion Flower	Fishing vessel (smack)	46	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Success	Fishing vessel (smack)	54	br
27 Jul 1918	UB 40	Valour	Fishing vessel (smack)	39	br
28 Jul 1918	UB 40	Francis Robert	Fishing vessel (smack)	44	br
				14,947
26 ships sunk (11,624 tons) and 3 ships damaged (3,323 tons). Legend (d.) means the ship was damaged.