SM ''U-79'' was one of the 329

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s serving in the Imperial German Navy (Imperial German Navy) in World War I. ''U-79'' was engaged in the

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

in the First Battle of the Atlantic. After the war she was transferred to the French Navy, in which she served as ''Victor Réveille''.

Imperial German Navy

SM ''U-79'' was commissioned by ''Kaptlt''. Jess, who was replaced by ''Kaptlt''. Rohrbeck in January 1917. Rohrbeck would be replaced by ''Kaptlt''. Stevogt.National Archives
''U-79'' came off the stocks at Hamburg (Vulcan) in 1916, and joined the Kiel School, where she is known to have been in July, and left Kiel for Wilhelmshaven about the end of July to join the 1st Half Flotilla. Between 6 and 26 August 1916, she laid 34 mines off the south coast of Ireland. She fired on a special service vessel north-west of Ireland on the night of 19 August; the torpedo missed. In the period 26 September to 14 October 1916, she laid mines in the Firth of Clyde. Patrolling off Portugal, ''via'' the English Channel, between 21 December 1916 and 28 January 1917, she sank eight steamers and one sailing ship, as well as capturing the Norwegian steamer ''Nanna'' on 24 January. On her return journey, by way of the Irish Channel, ''U-79'' compelled ''Nanna'' to take her under tow to the Danish coast, likely as a result of engine damage she reported 26 January. On 1 April 1917, she departed to lay mines in Inishtrahull Sound, but could not complete her task due to engine trouble, and returned on 21 April. She made three more minelaying patrols in 1917, one off the Butt of Lewis between 6 June and 4 July; one in

Rathlin Sound Rathlin Island ( ga, Reachlainn, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost poi ...

and off

Inishtrahull Island Inishtrahull ( ga, Inis Trá Tholl, possibly "island of the empty beach" or "island of the yonder beach") is the Extreme points of Ireland, most northerly island of Ireland. It has an area of and lies about northeast of Malin Head, County Do ...

, between 12 September and 15 October, during which she also sank the

armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

off Rathlin Island, 11 October, avoiding Heligoland Bight (per a 10 October general order) on her return; and one between 17 and 20 December, off the Dutch coast, transiting Heligoland Bight inbound and outbound on this occasion. She departed for a repeat of this mission 1 January 1918, but was forced to return 5 January due to compass trouble. She carried out training off Augustenhof Lighthouse, in the Baltic Sea, from 5 to 9 February, before departing on her next patrol, to lay mines off the Netherlands, returning 19 February, again avoiding Heligoland.

British Naval Intelligence The Naval Intelligence Division (NID) was created as a component part of the Admiralty War Staff in 1912. It was the intelligence arm of the British Admiralty before the establishment of a unified Defence Intelligence Staff in 1964. It dealt w ...

(better known as Room 40) records her at Norderney on 2 May 1918, and possibly in the Elbe on 9 November. On 21 November 1918, she was surrendered at

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

Summary of raiding history

French Navy

''U-79'' was surrendered to the Allies at

on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. She was transferred to France and commissioned as ''Victor Réveille'' in 1922. On 23 November 1923, she ran aground at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

, Pas de Calais, France. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service. Reduced to reserve in 1930, the boat was stricken on 27 July 1935, condemned two days later, and sold to L'Hermitte (Brest) for FF 70,642 on 6 August 1936, to be broken up.

References

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Bibliography

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External links

Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918.A 44 min. German film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35.
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original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK. {{DEFAULTSORT:U0079 World War I submarines of Germany U-boats commissioned in 1916 1915 ships Ships built in Kiel German Type UE I submarines Foreign submarines in French service Maritime incidents in 1923