SM U 65 (Germany)

Updated on Dec 07, 2023

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Name U-65 Laid down 4 June 1915 Class and type Type U 63 submarine Launched 21 March 1916 Part of Imperial German Navy		Ordered 17 May 1915 Commissioned 11 May 1916 Construction started 4 June 1915 Draft 4.04 m
Fate 28 October 1918 - Scuttled at Pola in position during the evacuation from there. Builder Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft

SM U-65 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-65 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Operations

U-65. Kaptlt. Hermann von Fischel. On completion at Kiel did trials at Kiel School about May and June 1916, afterwards proceeding to the North Sea to join 4th Flotilla.

? 11–14 July 1916. North Sea patrol.

16–24 July 1916. North Sea patrol.

17–21 August 1916. North Sea patrol, attacked minesweeper Haldon 20 August.

3–4 September 1916. North Sea patrol. Returned with defects.

26 October – 19 November 1916. To Mediterranean, northabout. Engaged by armed yacht Valiant II in 35°55′N 3°57′W. Sank nothing. On arrival at Cattaro joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.

28 November – 7 December 1916. Left Cattaro and on 1 December probably sank a steamer. On 4 December sank British SS Caledonia in 35°40′N 17°04′E. The submarine was badly rammed by Caledonia and appears to have returned home immediately on the surface.

17 February 1917. Sank troopship SS Athos (12,644 tons). 754 casualties.

29 March – 19/20 April 1917. In western Mediterranean sank 4 S.S., 5 sailing vessels (13,000 tons).

14 May – 9 June 1917. Possible cruise of U-65. After leaving Cattaro submarine damaged cruiser HMS Dartmouth by torpedo on 15 May in 41°11′N 18°15′E. She then sank 7 steamers and 12 sailing vessels in the central Mediterranean. 6 June, she was reported off Cape Passaro, 7 June in the vicinity of Straits of Messina, and 8 June was possibly attacked by seaplane in 39°4′N 19°00′E.

The next cruise of U-65 which can be reconstructed with probability was from 10 January to 31 January or 1 February 1918. On this cruise she sank 2 steamers and 1 sailing vessel, and was twice attacked from the air and once by depth-charged by Campanula, which she missed by torpedo.

A later possible cruise was for about the first 3 weeks of September 1918, on which she sank 4 steamers and damaged 4 more, between longitudes 8° and 17°E.

At the end of October 1918 she was scuttled by the Germans at Pola or Cattaro.

References

SM U-65 (Germany) Wikipedia

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