Hans Rose (April 18, 1885 – December 6, 1969) was one of the most successful and highly decorated German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

commanders Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in the ''

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

'' during . He sank 79 ships for a total of during the war.

World War I

In September 1916, Rose brought to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, to the surprise of American authorities. He proceeded to dock and then invite American naval officers and their wives aboard to view his vessel. After delivering a message to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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he proceeded offshore to the lightship ''Nantucket''. He sent five or six ships to the bottom, after questioning their captains on their cargo and ordering the abandonment of their ships. German submarine SM U-53

On March 11, 1917, Rose, still in command of ''U-53'', torpedoed and sank the 6705 ton

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. On December 6, 1917, Rose torpedoed and sank , the first American destroyer lost in the First World War. The torpedo hit ''Jacob Jones'' at , the longest successful torpedo shot on record at the time. In all, he sank 81 ships totalling (excluding ''Jacob Jones'') and damaged another nine. On December 20, 1917. ''Rose'' was awarded the ''

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

''. He was also awarded the ''Ritterkreuz des Hohenzollerschen Hausordens mit Schwertern'' (Knights Cross of the

Hohenzollern House Order The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various v ...

with Swords).

World War II

Hans Rose was in command of '' 1. Unterseeboots-Ausbildungsabteilung'' (U-boat training unit) from February to May 1940.

References

External links

uboat.net webpage
- Description of U-boat commands and sinkings by Hans Rose
theirishriviera.com webpage
- Info about RMS ''Folia''

- Portrait of Commander Rose on the deck of U-53 in the collection of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Hans U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I 1885 births 1969 deaths Kriegsmarine personnel Recipients of the Hanseatic Cross (Bremen) Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie People from Charlottenburg Military personnel from Berlin