Name U 55 Laid down 28 December 1914 Construction started 28 December 1914 Length 65 m | Ordered 23 August 1914 Commissioned 8 June 1916 Launched 18 March 1916 Draft 3.64 m | |
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Renamed O3 in 1920
Auxiliary Vessel No. 2538 in 1923 Fate Surrendered to Japan on 26 November 1918
Served with them as O3 between 1920 and 1921
Dismantled by June 1921
Briefly recommissioned in 1923 as Auxiliary Vessel No. 2538 Builder Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft | ||
SM U-55 was one of the six Type U 51 U-boats of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War, .
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Construction and commissioning
U 55 was ordered from Germaniawerft, Kiel on 23 August 1914, was laid down on 28 December 1914 and launched on 18 March 1916. She was commissioned under her first commander Wilhelm Werner on 8 June 1916.
In German service
Werner commanded her for most of her wartime career, during which she undertook 14 patrols with II Flotilla, sinking 64 ships for a total of 130,387 GRT. She also damaged another five for a total of 25,568 gross register tons (GRT), and took another two as prizes for a total of 4,616 GRT. Her most famous act was the sinking of the British passenger liner RMS Carpathia with three torpedoes, on 17 July 1918, off the east coast of Ireland. Carpathia herself had become famous for her actions in coming to the rescue of the sinking RMS Titanic in 1912. U-55 also sank the hospital ship HMHS Rewa on 4 January 1918.
Werner was replaced by Alexander Weiss on 10 August 1918, Weiss being succeeded by Hans Friedrich on 15 September and commanding U 55 until the armistice on 11 November.
In Japanese service
U 55 was surrendered to Japan on 26 November 1918. She entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920 as O3, serving as such until 1921. She was dismantled at the Sasebo Navy Yard between March and June 1921, briefly recommissioning in 1923 as Auxiliary Vessel No. 2538.