WWI U-boat commanders

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 

Hans Joachim Emsmann
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 1028 Feb 1918 - 17 May 1918
UB 4018 May 1918 - 31 Jul 1918
UB 1165 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

DateU-boat Name of shipType of shipTonsNat.
 
26 May 1918 UB 40 DayspringFishing vessel (smack)57br
26 May 1918 UB 40 EclipseFishing vessel (smack)47br
26 May 1918 UB 40 FortunaFishing vessel (smack)61br
31 May 1918 UB 40 AlertSailing vessel59br
3 Jun 1918 UB 40 Antiope (d.)Steamer3,004br
6 Jun 1918 UB 40 ActiveFishing vessel (smack)57br
6 Jun 1918 UB 40 BerylFishing vessel (smack)57br
6 Jun 1918 UB 40 DianthusFishing vessel51br
29 Jun 1918 UB 40 GreklandSteamer2,751sw
29 Jun 1918 UB 40 FlorentiaSteamer3,688br
1 Jul 1918 UB 40 Charing CrossSteamer2,534br
2 Jul 1918 UB 40 Admiraltug102br
2 Jul 1918 UB 40 Madeleine (d.)Sailing vessel158fr
2 Jul 1918 UB 40 NordBarge409fr
7 Jul 1918 UB 40 AbyFishing vessel15br
7 Jul 1918 UB 40 AlbionFishing vessel22br
7 Jul 1918 UB 40 Leeds (d.)Trawler161br
26 Jul 1918 UB 40 Boy JackFishing vessel (smack)57br
26 Jul 1918 UB 40 GodesgenageFishing vessel40be
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 CounsellorFishing vessel (smack)56br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 Fear NotFishing vessel (smack)59br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 I’ll TryFishing vessel (smack)51br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 Kirkham AbbeySteamer1,166br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 Le BijouFishing vessel (smack)46br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 ParagonFishing vessel (smack)56br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 Passion FlowerFishing vessel (smack)46br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 SuccessFishing vessel (smack)54br
27 Jul 1918 UB 40 ValourFishing vessel (smack)39br
28 Jul 1918 UB 40 Francis RobertFishing vessel (smack)44br
 14,947
26 ships sunk (11,624 tons) and 3 ships damaged (3,323 tons).


Legend
(d.) means the ship was damaged.

Media links


Kaiserliche Marine U-Boote 1914-1918

Dufeil, Yves


Torpedoed!

Philip Lecane

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