SM U-52 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-52 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
U-52 was noted for sinking two notable warships, the first notable warship (and second kill) being the Royal Navy's light cruiser, sunk in the North Sea on 19 August 1916 at 55.5667°N 12°W. Thirty-eight men were lost.[1] The sinking of Nottingham was an important event in the German Imperial Navy's action of August 19.[2] At that time Otto Ciliax was watch officer on board the submarine. He later became an admiral in the Kriegsmarine.[3]
U-52s second notable warship kill was the French battleship, sunk west of Portugal at 39.5°N -11°W.[4] on 26 November 1916. All 648 men were lost as the torpedo ignited a magazine and the ship sank within seconds.[5]
U-52 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. She was sold by the British Admiralty to George Cohen on 3 March 1919 for £2,400 (£ in) (excluding her engines), and was broken up at Swansea.[6]
One of the ordinary seamen on board U-52 was Julius Schopka (1896–1965). After the war he emigrated to Iceland and became an Icelandic citizen. In 1928, together with Icelandic journalist Árni Óla he published his memoirs from the war years, in Icelandic, Kafbátahernaðurinn (The Submarine Warfare). That book was in turn used by Icelandic author Illugi Jökulsson when he published the book Úr undirdjúpunum til Íslands — Julius Schopka, U-52 og heimsstyrjöldin fyrri (From the Depths to Iceland — Julius Schopka, U-52 and the First World War) in 2019. Illugi also used the unpublished memoirs of Hans Walther, who was captain of the U-52 for most of her operational time.[7]
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[8] | Fate[9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 July 1916 | HMT Onward | 266 | Sunk | ||
| 19 August 1916 | 5,400 | Sunk | |||
| 26 September 1916 | 526 | Sunk | |||
| 26 September 1916 | HMT Sarah Alice | 299 | Sunk | ||
| 26 September 1916 | St. Gothard |  United Kingdom | 2,788 | Sunk | |
| 25 November 1916 | Egyptiana | United Kingdom | 3,818 | Damaged | |
| 25 November 1916 | Suffren | 12,750 | Sunk | ||
| 10 December 1916 | Emma Laurans |  France | 2,153 | Sunk | |
| 30 March 1917 | Michelina Catalano | 78 | Sunk | ||
| 4 April 1917 | Missourian |  United States | 7,924 | Sunk | |
| 4 April 1917 | Ravenna | 4,101 | Sunk | ||
| 5 April 1917 | Angel Marina | 257 | Sunk | ||
| 7 April 1917 | Seward | United States | 2,471 | Sunk | |
| 8 April 1917 | Alba | 1,639 | Sunk | ||
| 9 April 1917 | Esterel | France | 2,574 | Sunk | |
| 11 April 1917 | Ansgar |  Denmark | 301 | Sunk | |
| 12 April 1917 | Glencliffe | United Kingdom | 3,673 | Sunk | |
| 14 April 1917 | Tres Macs |  Portugal | 163 | Sunk | |
| 15 April 1917 | Cabo Blanco |  Spain | 2,163 | Damaged | |
| 16 April 1917 | Crios |  Greece | 4,116 | Sunk | |
| 19 April 1917 | Senhora Da Conceicao | Portugal | 206 | Sunk | |
| 20 April 1917 | Caithness | United Kingdom | 3,500 | Sunk | |
| 21 April 1917 | HMS Heather | 1,250 | Damaged | ||
| 23 April 1917 | Acadia |  Norway | 1,556 | Sunk | |
| 6 July 1917 | Flora | Norway | 818 | Sunk | |
| 9 July 1917 | Prince Abbas | United Kingdom | 2,030 | Sunk | |
| 11 July 1917 | Vanda |  Sweden | 1,646 | Sunk | |
| 12 July 1917 | Fredrika | Sweden | 1,851 | Sunk | |
| 17 July 1917 | 321 | Sunk | |||
| 20 August 1917 | Bulysses | United Kingdom | 6,127 | Sunk | |
| 1 September 1917 | Tarapaca | France | 2,506 | Sunk | |
| 2 September 1917 | Wentworth | United Kingdom | 3,828 | Sunk | |
| 4 September 1917 | Peerless | United Kingdom | 3,112 | Sunk | |
| 5 September 1917 | Echunga | United Kingdom | 6,285 | Sunk | |
| 5 September 1917 | San Dunstano | United Kingdom | 6,220 | Damaged | |
| 11 September 1917 | Tobol | 3,741 | Sunk | ||
| 16 August 1918 | HMT Fylde | 256 | Damaged |