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Re: Unknown U-boat
Posted by:
Stavros
()
Date: April 10, 2016 12:00AM
Dear Oliver, Michael and fellow members.
Hello once again.
This post is about the SECOND special mission by U-boat to South-Western Peloponnese, carrying the second pair of greek officers.
Searching in my archive yesterday, I found something very interesting which i was unaware, a message from Princess Ipsilanti to H.E. King Constantine. It is very important information, as, it provides evidence that, all events mentioned in the diary i have for this second special mission, may have actually occurred 1 or 2 days earlier than the dates specified in the diary. I apologize for this.
Here is all the data of the second special U-boat mission, transporting the second pair of greek officers from Pola to South-Western Peloponnese (but this time they disembarked in the Bay of Messini, at Buca beach, near the town of Messini and not far from the city of Kalamata/Kalamai). The approximate coordinates of the point of disembarkation of the second pair of officers in South-Western Peloponnese are: 37 00'05''N 21 59'40''E .
SECOND SPECIAL MISSION BY U-BOAT, CARRYING THE SECOND PAIR OF GREEK OFFICERS FROM POLA TO GREECE
The 2 greek officers in this second mission were Lieutenant Nikolaos Potiropoulos and Lieutenant Ilias Papakostas of the Infantry Division of the Greek 4th Army Corps, in Görlitz.
A. INFO FROM AUSTROHUNGARIAN ARCHIVES
15 March 1918: "The second pair have left from here. Signed: Princess Ipsilanti"
This message was sent by Austrohungarian Foreign Minister Count Otto von Czernin (Otto Rudolf Theobald Ottokar Maria Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz) to Austrohungarian Ambassador in Bern Alexander Freiherr Musulin von Gomirje on 15 March 1918, with the order to inform H.E. King Constantine in Switzerland.
(the word "here" refers to the residence of Princess Ipsilanti at Schloss Rappoltenkirchen, 16 km from Vienna).
B. INFO FROM THE DIARY OF LIEUTENANT POTIROPOULOS (written in 1935, i.e. 17 years after the event)
(i) Before the U-boat journey:
N.B. The following dates mentioned in this diary could all be wrong by 1 or 2 days (i.e. all the events written in the diary could, in reality, have occurred 1 or 2 days earlier)
16 March 1918, night*: "After staying for approximately 15 days at the Ipsilantis Residence outside Vienna, on 16 March 1918 at night we departed by train to Pola".
17 March 1918, 1 pm*: "We arrived in Pola.
17 March 1918, between 1pm and 6:30 pm*: A german officer of the Imperial German Navy greeted us at Pola railway station and took us to a big ship, if i remember correctly belonging to LLOYD TRIESTINO, which was used for the accommodation of the officers of the base. We were informed by german officers on the ship that the first pair of greek officers had successfully landed in the Gulf of Arcadia (Kyparissia). We met the Commander of the Mediterranean U-boat Fleet, who (as we realized later on) was talking to the Commander of the U-boat which was going to take us to Greece, giving his last orders. We slept for 3 hours".
17 March 1918, 6:30 pm*: "We boarded the U-boat, which comprised 33 crew, including officers. 2/3 of the space in the U-boat was occupied by various equipment, machines and fuel tanks and only 1/3 was for the couchettes of the crew and officers. As there was no space for us to sleep, they placed mattresses above the torpedoes for us to sleep".
18 March 1918*(from a note of the other greek officer, officer Papakostas): "The U-boat was approximately in the middle of the Adriatic when signals from far away were received, that another U-boat, which was returning from its mission, was sending salutations".
18 March 1918*: "from the beginning of our journey by U-boat yesterday and all day today during daylight, we have been sailing at surface".
19 March 1918, morning*: "we woke up and realized that we were traveling submerged, because we were at the Strait of Otranto".
19 March 1918, around 10 am*: "a sudden sound/clack was heard. Immediately everyone became even more alert and some put their ears on the U-boat walls to better hear from where the sound was coming...The Commander, a young german, used the periscope. One of the sailors said that it was a fishing ship, which was confirmed by periscope. We were sitting with the officers of the U-boat, when a sailor arrived and asked from the Commander, if it was an enemy ship, to allow him to launch a torpedo. We were informed that the speed of the U-boat was 6 to 7 knots submerged and 12 to 15 knots at surface".
19 March 1918, morning* (from a note of the other greek officer, officer Papakostas):" The Commander informed us about the location we were going to disembark in Greece, which was, like the previous pair of officers, the Gulf of Arcadia (Kyparissia). Then my colleague Potiropoulos asked the Commander if it was possible to change the point of disembarkation and, instead, to disembark outside the city of Messini in the Gulf of Messini, because Potiropoulos hails from Messini and knows the area very well, so it would be safer for us to disembark there. The Commander agreed".
19 March 1918, night*: "the U-boat emerged to surface and all night travelled at surface".
20 March 1918* : "All day during daylight we travelled at surface".
20 March 1918, 6pm* : "We were exactly opposite the island of Zakynthos (Zante) when suddenly we heard the crew on duty shouting : plane, plane!! The Commander used a strong telescope. Immediately, whereas we were sailing parallel to Zakynthos, he ordered change of direction so that the U-boat sailed perpendicular to Zakynthos and also gave the order for immediate submersion. We only stayed submerged for about 15 minutes. It was already dark. During the emerging to surface procedure, a very unpleasant surprise awaited us. Instead of emerging normally to surface, the U-boat took an inclination to the horizontal. It was exactly the time when the crew was eating. Everybody rose immediately and we could hear the orders of the Commander. After just a few minutes, the U-boat leveled again and we heard voices "Gott sei Dank" ".
21 March, morning*: "We woke up and realized that we were travelling submerged. The Commander was at the periscope. I asked for a message to be delivered to the Commander, that is if it was possible for him to allow me to see through the periscope. My request was met and i was asked to join him. When i looked through the periscope, I saw the city of Koroni.
21 March, around 7 pm* : After travelling all day submerged, the U-boat emerged and the Commander told us to prepare for disembarkation. After thanking and saying farewell to the kind german officers for all their care and hospitality, we boarded a rowboat with one sailor, who took us to the beach of Messini (=Buca beach, approximate coordinates 37 00'05''N 21 59'40''E). The U-boat stayed quite far from the beach, as the waters are shallow".
* = dates is the diary are NOT consistent with the AustroHungarian archives, according to which the pair of greek officers had left the Ipsilantis residence in Rappoltenkirchen by 15 March 1918 or earlier)
This means that the events mentioned in the diary could have taken place 1 or 2 days earlier.
SOME THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS :
1) Which U-boats departed from Pola between 5pm and 7pm in the evening of
a) 14 March 1918, (b) 15 March 1918, (c) 16 March 1918, (d) 17 March 1918
and, after passing through the Strait of Otranto, sailed near Zakynthos, in the Bay of Arcadia (Kyparissia) and then in the Bay of Messini?
(UC-37 made a similar journey, but departed from Cattaro and not Pola, which does not fit the description if the diary is correct).
2) Is there a record (for example an archive or records of the Commander of The Mediterranean U-Boat Flotilla) from where it is possible to find out which U-boat Commanders met with the Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet in Pola on 14,15,16,17 March 1918?
3) Where were UB-50, UB-51 and UB-68 from 14 March until 21 March 1918?
Best regards and thanks for your assistance to finding this U-boat.
Stavros Fessas
Hello once again.
This post is about the SECOND special mission by U-boat to South-Western Peloponnese, carrying the second pair of greek officers.
Searching in my archive yesterday, I found something very interesting which i was unaware, a message from Princess Ipsilanti to H.E. King Constantine. It is very important information, as, it provides evidence that, all events mentioned in the diary i have for this second special mission, may have actually occurred 1 or 2 days earlier than the dates specified in the diary. I apologize for this.
Here is all the data of the second special U-boat mission, transporting the second pair of greek officers from Pola to South-Western Peloponnese (but this time they disembarked in the Bay of Messini, at Buca beach, near the town of Messini and not far from the city of Kalamata/Kalamai). The approximate coordinates of the point of disembarkation of the second pair of officers in South-Western Peloponnese are: 37 00'05''N 21 59'40''E .
SECOND SPECIAL MISSION BY U-BOAT, CARRYING THE SECOND PAIR OF GREEK OFFICERS FROM POLA TO GREECE
The 2 greek officers in this second mission were Lieutenant Nikolaos Potiropoulos and Lieutenant Ilias Papakostas of the Infantry Division of the Greek 4th Army Corps, in Görlitz.
A. INFO FROM AUSTROHUNGARIAN ARCHIVES
15 March 1918: "The second pair have left from here. Signed: Princess Ipsilanti"
This message was sent by Austrohungarian Foreign Minister Count Otto von Czernin (Otto Rudolf Theobald Ottokar Maria Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz) to Austrohungarian Ambassador in Bern Alexander Freiherr Musulin von Gomirje on 15 March 1918, with the order to inform H.E. King Constantine in Switzerland.
(the word "here" refers to the residence of Princess Ipsilanti at Schloss Rappoltenkirchen, 16 km from Vienna).
B. INFO FROM THE DIARY OF LIEUTENANT POTIROPOULOS (written in 1935, i.e. 17 years after the event)
(i) Before the U-boat journey:
N.B. The following dates mentioned in this diary could all be wrong by 1 or 2 days (i.e. all the events written in the diary could, in reality, have occurred 1 or 2 days earlier)
16 March 1918, night*: "After staying for approximately 15 days at the Ipsilantis Residence outside Vienna, on 16 March 1918 at night we departed by train to Pola".
17 March 1918, 1 pm*: "We arrived in Pola.
17 March 1918, between 1pm and 6:30 pm*: A german officer of the Imperial German Navy greeted us at Pola railway station and took us to a big ship, if i remember correctly belonging to LLOYD TRIESTINO, which was used for the accommodation of the officers of the base. We were informed by german officers on the ship that the first pair of greek officers had successfully landed in the Gulf of Arcadia (Kyparissia). We met the Commander of the Mediterranean U-boat Fleet, who (as we realized later on) was talking to the Commander of the U-boat which was going to take us to Greece, giving his last orders. We slept for 3 hours".
17 March 1918, 6:30 pm*: "We boarded the U-boat, which comprised 33 crew, including officers. 2/3 of the space in the U-boat was occupied by various equipment, machines and fuel tanks and only 1/3 was for the couchettes of the crew and officers. As there was no space for us to sleep, they placed mattresses above the torpedoes for us to sleep".
18 March 1918*(from a note of the other greek officer, officer Papakostas): "The U-boat was approximately in the middle of the Adriatic when signals from far away were received, that another U-boat, which was returning from its mission, was sending salutations".
18 March 1918*: "from the beginning of our journey by U-boat yesterday and all day today during daylight, we have been sailing at surface".
19 March 1918, morning*: "we woke up and realized that we were traveling submerged, because we were at the Strait of Otranto".
19 March 1918, around 10 am*: "a sudden sound/clack was heard. Immediately everyone became even more alert and some put their ears on the U-boat walls to better hear from where the sound was coming...The Commander, a young german, used the periscope. One of the sailors said that it was a fishing ship, which was confirmed by periscope. We were sitting with the officers of the U-boat, when a sailor arrived and asked from the Commander, if it was an enemy ship, to allow him to launch a torpedo. We were informed that the speed of the U-boat was 6 to 7 knots submerged and 12 to 15 knots at surface".
19 March 1918, morning* (from a note of the other greek officer, officer Papakostas):" The Commander informed us about the location we were going to disembark in Greece, which was, like the previous pair of officers, the Gulf of Arcadia (Kyparissia). Then my colleague Potiropoulos asked the Commander if it was possible to change the point of disembarkation and, instead, to disembark outside the city of Messini in the Gulf of Messini, because Potiropoulos hails from Messini and knows the area very well, so it would be safer for us to disembark there. The Commander agreed".
19 March 1918, night*: "the U-boat emerged to surface and all night travelled at surface".
20 March 1918* : "All day during daylight we travelled at surface".
20 March 1918, 6pm* : "We were exactly opposite the island of Zakynthos (Zante) when suddenly we heard the crew on duty shouting : plane, plane!! The Commander used a strong telescope. Immediately, whereas we were sailing parallel to Zakynthos, he ordered change of direction so that the U-boat sailed perpendicular to Zakynthos and also gave the order for immediate submersion. We only stayed submerged for about 15 minutes. It was already dark. During the emerging to surface procedure, a very unpleasant surprise awaited us. Instead of emerging normally to surface, the U-boat took an inclination to the horizontal. It was exactly the time when the crew was eating. Everybody rose immediately and we could hear the orders of the Commander. After just a few minutes, the U-boat leveled again and we heard voices "Gott sei Dank" ".
21 March, morning*: "We woke up and realized that we were travelling submerged. The Commander was at the periscope. I asked for a message to be delivered to the Commander, that is if it was possible for him to allow me to see through the periscope. My request was met and i was asked to join him. When i looked through the periscope, I saw the city of Koroni.
21 March, around 7 pm* : After travelling all day submerged, the U-boat emerged and the Commander told us to prepare for disembarkation. After thanking and saying farewell to the kind german officers for all their care and hospitality, we boarded a rowboat with one sailor, who took us to the beach of Messini (=Buca beach, approximate coordinates 37 00'05''N 21 59'40''E). The U-boat stayed quite far from the beach, as the waters are shallow".
* = dates is the diary are NOT consistent with the AustroHungarian archives, according to which the pair of greek officers had left the Ipsilantis residence in Rappoltenkirchen by 15 March 1918 or earlier)
This means that the events mentioned in the diary could have taken place 1 or 2 days earlier.
SOME THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS :
1) Which U-boats departed from Pola between 5pm and 7pm in the evening of
a) 14 March 1918, (b) 15 March 1918, (c) 16 March 1918, (d) 17 March 1918
and, after passing through the Strait of Otranto, sailed near Zakynthos, in the Bay of Arcadia (Kyparissia) and then in the Bay of Messini?
(UC-37 made a similar journey, but departed from Cattaro and not Pola, which does not fit the description if the diary is correct).
2) Is there a record (for example an archive or records of the Commander of The Mediterranean U-Boat Flotilla) from where it is possible to find out which U-boat Commanders met with the Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet in Pola on 14,15,16,17 March 1918?
3) Where were UB-50, UB-51 and UB-68 from 14 March until 21 March 1918?
Best regards and thanks for your assistance to finding this U-boat.
Stavros Fessas
