SM ''U-156'') and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''., group=Note was a
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
**Ge ...
Type U 151 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 ro ...
commissioned in 1917 for the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...
. From 1917 until her disappearance in September 1918 she was part of the
U-Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for sinking 45 ships and damaging two others. She took part in the
Attack on Orleans
The Attack on Orleans was a naval and air action during World War I on 21 July 1918 when a German submarine fired on a small convoy of barges led by a tugboat off Orleans, Massachusetts, on the eastern coast of the Cape Cod peninsula. Several ...
.
Background
''U-156'', built by the
Atlas Werke
Atlas Werke was a German shipbuilding company, located in Bremen. It was founded in 1911.
During World War I Atlas Werke built one single U 151 U-boat for the Kaiserliche Marine, the .
After the war, Atlas Werke also started to make echo sound ...
in
Bremen, was originally one of seven class U-boats designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany in 1916. Five of the submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers) equipped with two
SK L/45 deck gun
A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret.
The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...
s, including ''U-156''. They were the largest U-boats of World War I.
Service history
''U-156'' was
launched on 17 April 1917 and
commissioned on 22 August 1917 under the experienced U-boat ace Konrad Gansser, who commanded her until June 1918, following which Richard Feldt took command until the U-156 was lost in September 1918.
On 17 January 1918, Gansser's U-156 entered isolated Naos Bay in the Spanish Canary Islands. The U-156 was scheduled to meet with the U-157 and a small Spanish flagged merchant vessel in an attempt to transit prohibited materials past the British blockade to Germany. The British learned of the meeting through decoded signals and ambushed the U-156 in a failed attempt to sink the U-boat. The British submarine had actually hit the U-156 with a torpedo but the torpedo had failed to explode.
On 15 June 1918, ''U-156'' sailed with 77 crew. She passed through the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, negotiated the Northern Passage around the northern end of the British Isles, and out into the Atlantic Ocean where she sailed for
Long Island. She then proceeded to
New York Harbor, where she had been ordered to lay mines. Records show that she was to lay a field of mines in the shipping lane along the south shore of
Long Island, just east of the
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York.
Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Lo ...
lightship.
[Sheard, p. 114]
On 8 July 1918 ''U-156'' stopped and scuttled the Norwegian owned ''
Manx King'' at , which was traveling between New York and Rio de Janeiro. Captain
Rasmus Emil Halvorsen and her crew were rescued from the lifeboats after 27 hours by DS ''Anchites'' of Liverpool, England.
A mine laid by ''U-156'' is often credited with the loss of the cruiser
USS ''San Diego'' on 19 July 1918, ten miles southeast of
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York.
Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Lo ...
, New York.
[
On 21 July 1918 ''U-156'' opened fire on a beach and marsh within the boundaries of the American town of ]Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts situated along Cape Cod. The population was 6,307 at the 2020 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Orleans, please see the article Orleans (CD ...
, and several nearby merchant vessels. The bombardment of the beach may have been a case of overshooting the targeted maritime vessels. In the end, the U-156 severely damaged a tugboat and sank four barges. HS-1L flying boats and R-9 seaplanes were dispatched from the Chatham Naval Air Station and bombed the enemy raider with bombs that failed to explode. The U-156 returned fire with her deck guns in an unsuccessful attempt to down the aircraft. It was the first time in history that American aviators engaged an enemy vessel in the western Atlantic. The Attack on Orleans
The Attack on Orleans was a naval and air action during World War I on 21 July 1918 when a German submarine fired on a small convoy of barges led by a tugboat off Orleans, Massachusetts, on the eastern coast of the Cape Cod peninsula. Several ...
was the only Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
raid mounted against the United States mainland
Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...
during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the first time the Continental United States was shelled by a foreign power's artillery since the Siege of Fort Texas
The siege of Fort Texas marked the beginning of active campaigning by the armies of the United States and Mexico during the Mexican–American War. The battle is sometimes called the siege of Fort Brown. Major Jacob Brown, not to be confused w ...
in 1846.
''U-156'' had meanwhile headed north to attack the US fishing fleet. She sank 21 fishing boats in the Gulf of Maine
, image =
, alt =
, caption =
, image_bathymetry = GulfofMaine2.jpg
, alt_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry = Major features of the Gulf of Maine
, location = Northeast coast of the ...
area, from Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
to the Bay of Fundy, ranging from the ton schooner ''Nelson A.'' (4 August) to the 766 GRT ''Dornfontein'' (2 August).[Sheard, p. 117]
''U-156'' has been credited with the sinking of the tanker ''Luz Blanca'', just off the headlands of Halifax on August 5/1918. On 20 August, ''U-156'' captured the Canadian trawler ''Triumph'' southwest of Canso, Nova Scotia
Canso is a community in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, Canada, next to Chedabucto Bay. In January 2012, it ceased to be a separate town and as of July 2012 was amalgamated into the Municipality of the Di ...
. They manned and armed the vessel, and used it in conjunction with the submarine to capture and sink seven other fishing boats in the Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...
area, before eventually scuttling her.
Fate
On 25 September 1918 and in the following days, ''U-156'' failed to report that she had cleared the Northern barrage minefield between the United Kingdom and Norway on her return voyage to Germany. ''U-156'' is presumed to have struck a mine of the Northern Barrage
The Northern Barrage was the name given to minefields laid by the British during World War II to restrict German access to the Atlantic Ocean. The barrage stretched from the Orkney to the Faroe Islands and on toward Iceland. Mines were also lai ...
during the last leg of her cruise. Prior to her arrival at the northern end of the barrage she had radioed the estimated time and exact route she planned to take through the mines. The British intercepted this message, decoded it, and sent a submarine to ambush ''U-156''. ''U-156'' escaped the trap by diving but likely attempted to transit the barrage while underwater. The 77 crew on board were never heard from again.
Summary of raiding history
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:U0156
German Type U 151 submarines
U-boats commissioned in 1917
U-boats sunk in 1918
Maritime incidents in 1918
World War I submarines of Germany
1917 ships
Ships lost with all hands
World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea