SM U-49

History
German Empire
Name	U-49
Ordered	4 August 1914
Builder	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number	27
Launched	26 November 1915
Commissioned	31 May 1916
Fate	Sunk with all hands by British Transport, 11 September 1917
General characteristics
Class and type	Type U-43 submarine
Displacement	725 t (714 long tons) surfaced; 940 t (930 long tons) submerged;
Length	65.00 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) (oa); 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) (pressure hull);
Height	9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught	3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Installed power	2 × 2,000 PS (1,471 kW; 1,973 shp) surfaced; 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged;
Propulsion	2 shafts
Speed	15.2 knots (28.2 km/h; 17.5 mph) surfaced; 9.7 knots (18.0 km/h; 11.2 mph) submerged;
Range	11,400 nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced; 51 nmi (94 km; 59 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged;
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	36
Armament	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern); 6 torpedoes; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun;
Service record
Part of:	III Flotilla; 7 August 1916 – 11 September 1917;
Commanders:	Kptlt. Richard Hartmann; 31 May 1916 – 11 September 1917;
Operations:	6 patrols
Victories:	38 merchant ships sunk ; (86,320 GRT); 2 merchant ships damaged ; (2,609 GRT); 1 merchant ship taken as prize ; (566 GRT);

SM U-49 was the seventh U-boat of the U-43 class. She was ordered on 4 August 1914 and was put into the III Flotilla 7 August 1916. In her career she sank 38 ships for a total of 86,320 gross register tons (GRT). None was a naval ship.

Kapitänleutnant Richard Hartmann commanded U-49 throughout her career until she was sunk on 11 September 1917 in action in the Bay of Biscay. While surfaced, U-49 attacked the merchant ship British Transport, which had sailed Brest, France bound for Archangel in Russia, laden with munitions and other explosives. After a gun battle lasting five hours, U-49 fired two torpedoes at British Transport. Both missed, and the merchantman then rammed and sank her at 46°17′N 14°42′W; all hands were lost.

It was the first time in the war that a merchant ship had sunk a U-boat. In February 1918 British Transport's Master, Captain AT Pope, was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, three of her officers were awarded the DSC, seven of her crewmen were awarded the DSM and three were mentioned in dispatches.

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