SM U-24 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was engaged in commerce warfare during the First Battle of the Atlantic.
In seven patrols, U-24 sank a total of 33 merchant ships and 1 auxiliary warship totalling and one warship for 15,000 tons, damaged three merchant ships for 14,318 GRT, and took one merchant ship as prize of 1,925 GRT.[1]
Her second kill was the most significant. The victim was, torpedoed south of Lyme Regis, at 50.2167°N -7°W. She was hit in the number one boiler room on the port side. Out of a crew of approximately 711 men, 547 died as a result. This was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war.[2]
In 1915, U-24 claimed another noted victim, the passenger steamer, causing 44 deaths, including three Americans. Arabic sank in 10 minutes. This escalated the U-boat fear in the U.S. and caused a diplomatic incident which resulted in the suspension of torpedoing non-military ships without notice.[3]
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[4] | Fate[5] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 October 1914 | Amiral Ganteaume | 4,590 | Damaged | ||
1 January 1915 | 15,000 | Sunk | |||
2 April 1915 | Lochwood | 2,042 | Sunk | ||
4 April 1915 | City of Bremen | 1,258 | Sunk | ||
10 April 1915 | The President | 647 | Sunk | ||
11 April 1915 | Frederic Franck | 973 | Damaged | ||
27 June 1915 | Edith | 97 | Sunk | ||
27 June 1915 | Indrani | 3,640 | Sunk | ||
27 June 1915 | Lucena | 243 | Sunk | ||
28 June 1915 | Dumfriesshire | 2,622 | Sunk | ||
28 June 1915 | 8,825 | Sunk | |||
30 June 1915 | Scottish Monarch | 5,043 | Sunk | ||
30 June 1915 | Thistlebank | 2,411 | Sunk | ||
1 July 1915 | L. C. Tower | 518 | Sunk | ||
1 July 1915 | Sardomene | 2,000 | Sunk | ||
1 July 1915 | Welbury | 3,591 | Sunk | ||
6 July 1915 | Ellen | 169 | Sunk | ||
7 August 1915 | Geiranger | 1,081 | Sunk | ||
12 August 1915 | Osprey | 310 | Sunk | ||
13 August 1915 | Cairo | 1,671 | Sunk | ||
19 August 1915 | 15,801 | Sunk | |||
19 August 1915 | Dunsley | 4,930 | Sunk | ||
19 August 1915 | New York City | 2,970 | Sunk | ||
19 August 1915 | St. Olaf | 277 | Sunk | ||
24 August 1915 | Sinsen | 1,925 | Captured as prize | ||
25 December 1915 | Van Stirum | 3,284 | Sunk | ||
26 December 1915 | Cottingham | 513 | Sunk | ||
26 December 1915 | Ministre Bernaert | 4,215 | Sunk | ||
28 December 1915 | Huronian | 8,755 | Damaged | ||
28 December 1915 | El Zorro | 5,989 | Sunk | ||
11 July 1916 | HMT Nellie Nutten | 174 | Sunk | ||
30 October 1916 | Nellie Bruce | 192 | Sunk | ||
10 December 1916 | Agder | 305 | Sunk | ||
21 March 1917 | Stanley | 3,987 | Sunk | ||
22 March 1917 | Svendsholm | 1,998 | Sunk | ||
27 March 1917 | Glenogle | 7,682 | Sunk | ||
28 March 1917 | Cannizaro | 6,133 | Sunk | ||
18 June 1917 | Elele | 6,557 | Sunk | ||
18 June 1917 | English Monarch | 4,947 | Sunk |