SM U-151 or SM Unterseeboot 151 (ex U Oldenburg) was a World War I U-boat of the Imperial German Navy, constructed by Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik at Hamburg and launched on 4 April 1917. From 1917 until the Armistice in November 1918 she was part of the U-Kreuzer Flotilla, and was responsible for 34 ships sunk () and 7 ships damaged (13,267 GRT and 1,025 tons).

Background U-151 was originally one of seven class U-boats designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany in 1916. Five of the submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers) equipped with two SK L/45 deck guns, including U-151 which was originally to have been named Oldenburg. The Type U 151 class were the largest U-boats of World War I.

Service history U-151 was commissioned on 21 July 1917. From 21 July to 26 December 1917 she was commanded by Waldemar Kophamel who took U-151 on a long-range cruise which eventually covered a total of 12,000 miles. On 19 September 1917 U-151 claimed her first victim, the 3,104 GRT French sailing ship Blanche in the Atlantic Ocean. On 2 or 12 October 1917 (sources differ), she collided with the Royal Navy Q-ship in the Atlantic Ocean off Casablanca, French Morocco, sinking Begonia. On 20 November 1917 U-151 captured the steamship Johan Mjelde, and scuttled her on 26 November after transferring 22 tons of her cargo of copper.

American cruise

U-151 left Kiel on 14 April 1918 commanded by Korvettenkapitän Heinrich von Nostitz und Jänckendorff, her mission to attack American shipping. She arrived off the United States East Coast on 21 May, laid mines off the Delaware Capes and cut the submerged telegraph cables which connected New York City with Nova Scotia. On 25 May she stopped three American schooners off Virginia, took their crews prisoner, and sank the three ships by gunfire.

On 2 June 1918, known to some historians as "Black Sunday", U-151 sank six American ships and damaged one off the coast of New Jersey in the space of a few hours. The next day the tanker Herbert L. Pratt struck a mine previously laid by U-151 in the area, but the Pratt was later salvaged. Thirteen people died in the seven sinkings, their deaths caused by a capsized lifeboat from .

On 9 June 1918, U-151 stopped the Norwegian cargo ship Vindeggen off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Scuttling charges were rigged aboard her, then she was escorted outside the shipping lane under a prize crew. Von Nostitz then transferred 70 tons of copper ingots from Vindeggen to U-151. On 14 June U-151 followed this with the sinking of the Norwegian barque Samoa, en route from Walvis Bay, South-West Africa, to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, with a cargo of copper ore, by gunfire s off the Virginia coast. There were no casualties. On 18 June, U-151 sank the steamship , and then loitered near Dwinsks lifeboats in the hopes that more Allied shipping would be attracted to them. Through this ruse, she launched torpedoes at the U.S. Navy auxiliary cruiser and troopship , but missed and was instead depth charged by Von Steuben. On 28 June, U-151 captured SS Dictator and made its crew prisoners of war. Among those taken were four men from Newfoundland.

U-151 returned to Kiel on 20 July 1918 after a 94-day cruise in which she had covered a distance of . Her commander reported that she had sunk 23 ships totalling 61,000 tons and had laid mines responsible for the sinking of another four vessels.

Fate At the end of the war U-151 surrendered to France at Cherbourg. The French Navy sank her as a target on 7 June 1921.

Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate19 September 1917Blanche3,104Sunk1 October 1917Etna5,604Sunk2 October 1917Viajante377Sunk4 October 1917Bygdønes2,849Sunk12 October 19171,025Damaged13 October 1917Caprera5,040Sunk19 October 1917Harpon1,484Damaged20 October 1917Moyori Maru3,746Sunk21 October 1917Gryfevale4,437Sunk2 November 1917Acary4,275Sunk2 November 1917Guahyba1,891Sunk16 November 1917Margaret L. Roberts535Sunk21 November 1917Sobral1,075Sunk22 November 1917Tijuca2,543Sunk23 November 1917Trombetas235Sunk26 November 1917Johan Mjelde2,049Sunk4 December 1917Claudio2,588Damaged24 May 1918Edna325Damaged25 May 1918Hattie Dunn435Sunk25 May 1918Hauppauge1,446Damaged2 June 1918Carolina5,093Sunk2 June 1918Edward H. Cole1,791Sunk2 June 1918Edward R. Baird Jr279Damaged2 June 1918Isabel B. Wiley776Sunk2 June 1918Jacob M. Haskell1,778Sunk2 June 1918Texel3,210Sunk2 June 1918Winneconne1,869Sunk3 June 1918Samuel C. Mengel915Sunk3 June 1918Herbert L. Pratt7,145Damaged4 June 1918Eidsvold1,570Sunk5 June 1918Harpathian4,588Sunk5 June 1918Vinland1,143Sunk8 June 1918Pinar Del Rio2,504Sunk10 June 1918Henrik Lund4,226Sunk10 June 1918Vindeggen3,179Sunk14 June 1918Kringsjaa1,750Sunk14 June 1918Samoa1,138Sunk18 June 1918Dwinsk8,173Sunk22 June 1918Chilier2,966Sunk23 June 1918Augvald3,406Sunk28 June 1918Dictator125Sunk

See also USS Von Steuben, one of the ships she unsuccessfully attacked in 1918.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

Karl Plath: U-Kreuzer 151 greift an. U-Kreuzerfahrten nach Afrika und Amerika, Potsdam (Voggenreiter) 1937. English edition: Celestino Corraliza (Ed.): U-Cruiser 151 Attacks, Trident Publishing 2022. ISBN 1959764551. ISBN 978-1959764557

External links

For a discussion of the impact of this boat on the U.S. submarine effort in WWI Photo, Herbert L. Pratt grounded after making way inshore.