SM U-139 explained
SM U-139 was the lead ship
of her class, one of the
submarines serving in the
Imperial German Navy in
World War I. She was
commissioned on 18 May 1918 under the command of
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who named the submarine
Kapitänleutnant Schwieger, after
Walther Schwieger, who had sunk the in 1915. She only sailed on one war patrol, during which she sunk four ships.
U-139 surrendered to France on 24 November 1918 and shortly afterwards became French submarine
Halbronn (until 24 July 1935 when she was broken up).
Action of 14 October 1918
See also: Action of 14 October 1918. On the 14 October 1918, U-139 attacked the Portuguese civilian steamer SS São Miguel, which was being escorted by the Portuguese Navy small naval trawler NRP Augusto de Castilho in the Atlantic Ocean. Augusto Castilho covered the escape of São Miguel by engaging U-139 for several hours, until being destroyed.[1]
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[2] | Fate[3] |
|---|
| 1 October 1918 | Bylands |  United Kingdom | 3,309 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1918 | Manin | | 2,691 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1918 | HMS Perth | | 2,502 | Damaged |
| 2 October 1918 | Rio Cavado |  Portugal | 301 | Sunk |
| 14 October 1918 | Augusto De Castilho | | 487 | Sunk | |
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Book: Gröner. Erich. Jung. Dieter. Maass. Martin. Thomas. Keith. Magowan. Rachel. 1991. U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. 2. German Warships 1815–1945. London. Conway Maritime Press. 0-85177-593-4. CITEREFGröner1991.
External links
Notes and References
- James H. Guill, "the only battle of note that occurred near the Azores during this period took place 14 October 1918 between the German U-139 and Portugal's ships São Miguel and Augusto Castilho.", page 507.
- Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
- u139. U 139. 1boat. 7 December 2014.
