WWI U-boats

U 39

 

Type

U 31

Shipyard Germaniawerft, 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
15 Oct 1917 - 18 May 1918  Kptlt. Heinrich Metzger
Career 19 patrols
start date unknown - 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. 
Fate 18 May 1918 - Interned at Cartagena, Spain after being damaged by allied escorts and aircraft that same day. Surrendered to France on 22 Mar 1919 and was broken up at Toulon in 1923..  

See the 161 ships hit by U 39


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 the U 39 from WWII.

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