U-boat S-35

willycoppens · 10 February 2003, 07:00 PM

Sorry to go so far off topic with this, but something Regulus said about U-boat activity in WWI reminded me of this incident.
In 1918, the U-boat S-35??? sailed to the eastern coast of the United States, sank some shipping,then returned to Germany. There is a historical marker in Avon, North Carolina, that describes the sinking of a British ship by S-35??? at that spot.
I have no more information about this. Maybe Regulus or someone else could kindly fill in the blanks.
Thanks, willy

Regulus · 10 February 2003, 11:13 PM

Hi Willy,

Yes I should have more about this, but not as much as I would like to have. First of all however there was no U-boat S 35. All German U-boats were named U or UB or UC (however in reality there also existed for example UA or UE types,... but they were not officially named that way.

Also if we are talking about German U-boats operating against the US coast in WW I we are talking of the year 1918.

Of course there did exist earlier U-boat voyages to the US such as with the merchant U-boat Deutschland, but that is before war declaration of the US to Germany.

In fact it was June 1918 before the Americans were confronted in their homeland with the reality of U-boat war in the newspapers, some time after the first German U-boats had become active over there.

U151 was before the US coast from 15th May till 1 july, U156 from the 5th of July till the 1st of September, U140 from 14July till 1 September, U117 from left Germany early July, not known whenexactly arrived at US coast, but returned together with U140. U155 (the former Deutschland indeed) was in US waters from 7 September till 20 October, U152 from 29 September till 20 October. U139 ran out to the US in September but was recalled to Germany before it became active at the US coast.

I knew that subs went as far south as the North Carolina coast ( they didn't get any further to the south in fact) in the area of Cape Hatteras but it remains a question to me too which one it was.

For more details try posting at this forum which might give the answer :

http://uboat.net/forum/list.php?f=5

Best from Johan

willycoppens · 11 February 2003, 02:41 AM

Dear Regulus,
Thanks again! I knew that you would have some info about this. It just seemed interesting to me that by that stage of the war, with the situation going so badly for the Germans on the Continent, that they could still mount an offensive thousands of miles away.
Shall let you know if I come across anything new on the subject.
willy

Regulus · 11 February 2003, 08:10 AM

Hi Willy,

Unlike the guys of the Kaiserliche Marine who were starting a mutiny, the members of the U-boot waffe never had real moral problems, neither did the personnel of the Marinekorps Flandern !

To come back on the item of U-boat war, over 6600 ships were sunk, not counting the warships by the German U-boats, which remains an enormous success. The record of WWI U-boatcommander von Arnauld de la Perriere was not even broken in WW II !

Best from Johan and good hunting !