SM U-16 (Germany)
SM U-16 Underway. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | Type U 13 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 17 |
| Completed | 1 |
| History | |
| Germany | |
| Name | U-16 |
| Ordered | 26 August 1909 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Cost | 2,539,000 Goldmark |
| Yard number | 157 |
| Laid down | 10 May 1910 |
| Launched | 29 August 1911 |
| Commissioned | 28 December 1911 |
| Fate | Sunk in February 1919 in an accident at position 53°59′N 08°29′E / 53.983°N 8.483°E while on passage to surrender. Its wreck was raised on September 2025. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Unique submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 57.80 m (189 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 3.36 m (11 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range | 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 km; 2,400 mi) at 15 kn |
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of |
|
| Commanders | |
| Operations | 4 patrols |
| Victories | |
SM U-16[Note 1] was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.
Service history
U-16 was a pre-war U-boat, built by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft and served up to 1915 when she was utilized as a training submarine. It engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
During its service, it sunk 11 ships, damaged 2, and took a Swedish ship as a prize.
Sinking
After the war ended, in 1919 the ship was en route to Harwich to be turned in as war booty. However, an accident occurred wherein U-16 sunk off the island of Scharhörn.
Raising the wreck
With two institutions in charge of the wreck, the country´s Institute for Federal Real Estate (BlmA) and the state of Hamburg´s Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Elbe-Nordsee, the fate of U-16 remained unsettled. Experts feared, the wreck, lying at a depth of 20 meters and stuck in the mud of the Wadden Sea up to the original waterline, could move further into the mouth of the Elbe, a major shipping lane to Hamburg and threaten commercial shipping, so the Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Elbe-Nordsee finally decided to raise the wreck.[3] Without BlmA approval.[4]
During the night of 31 August to 1 September 2025, the wreck was raised from a depth of about 20 meters by the dutch crane vessel Matador 3.[3] During the operation, the submarine broke apart. Part of the vessel remained on the seabed off Scharhörn, the rest was brought to Cuxhaven.[5] The remaining bow section was raised two days later.[4] Museums expressed interest in obtaining some smaller pieces of equipment from the wreck, but the conservation status of the hull was considered to be too bad to save it.[3] Others estimated a preservation to be possible but too expensive.[4]
The entire recovery was labeled "stuporous" by a BlmA archeologist. After his judgement, moving the wreck a few meters away from the shipping lane would have been sufficient.[4]
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 1915 | Dulwich | United Kingdom | 3,289 | Sunk |
| 15 February 1915 | Ville de Lille | France | 997 | Sunk |
| 18 February 1915 | Dinorah | France | 4,208 | Damaged |
| 19 February 1915 | Belridge | Norway | 7,020 | Damaged |
| 26 May 1915 | M. Roosval | Sweden | 309 | Sunk |
| 26 May 1915 | Betty | Denmark | 2,109 | Sunk |
| 28 May 1915 | Mars | Russian Empire | 251 | Sunk |
| 30 May 1915 | Søborg | Denmark | 2,108 | Sunk |
| 20 September 1915 | Thorvaldsen | Denmark | 1,220 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1915 | Ellen Benzon | Denmark | 143 | Sunk |
| 29 September 1915 | Flora | Norway | 184 | Sunk |
| 29 September 1915 | Actie | Norway | 562 | Sunk |
| 30 September 1915 | Florida | Norway | 558 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1915 | Pallas | Sweden | 838 | Captured as prize |
References
Notes
- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Claus Hansen". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Leo Hillebrand (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Hochwarth, Dominik. ""Was unten bleiben kann…" – Experten empört über U16-Bergung". ingenieur.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-05.
- ^ a b c d "Zweite Hälfte von U-Boot aus Kaiserzeit auf dem Trockenen". sueddeutsche.de (in German). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- ^ Lippke, Alicia. "U-Boot aus dem Jahr 1919: Wrack zerbricht bei Bergung aus 20 Metern Tiefe". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-02.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 16". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
Bibliography
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.