SM U-82 in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project -

SM U-82

U-Boat SM U-82 was a Type U 81, built at the Shipyard Germaniawerft, Kiel (Werk 252) Ordered 23 Jun 1915, Laid down 31 Aug 1915, Launched 1 Jul 1916 and Commissioned 16 Sep 1916 From her launch until the 29th of Apr 1918 she was commanded by Hans Adam then from the 30th of Apr 1918 to the 11th of Nov 1918 she was commanded by Heinrich Middendorff. Her career spanned 11 patrols with IV Flotilla Claiming 36 ships sunk with a total of 110,160 tons and 3 ships damaged with a total of 32,914 tons.

5 Dec 1916 Dorit 242 da
5 Dec 1916 Ella 879 nw
6 Dec 1916 Christine 196 da
6 Dec 1916 Robert 353 da
10 Dec 1916 Gerda 287 da
2 Jan 1917 Omnium 8,719 fr
3 Jan 1917 Viking 761 da
4 Jan 1917 Calabro 1,925 it
5 Jan 1917 Ebro 1,028 da
6 Jan 1917 Beaufront 1,720 br
23 Apr 1917 Marita 1,759 nw
24 Apr 1917 Thistleard 4,136 br
25 Apr 1917 Hackensack 4,060 br
4 May 1917 Ellin (damaged) 4,577 gr
11 Jun 1917 Zylpha 2,917 br
13 Jun 1917 Storegut 2,557 nw
14 Jun 1917 Highbury 4,831 br
14 Jun 1917 Ortolan 1,727 br
15 Jun 1917 Albertine Beatrice 1,379 nl
15 Jun 1917 Westonby 3,795 br
16 Jun 1917 Jessie 2,256 br
18 Jun 1917 Thistledhu 4,026 br
25 Jul 1917 Monkstone 3,097 br
31 Jul 1917 Orubian 3,876 br
31 Jul 1917 Quernmore 7,302 br
19 Sep 1917 Saint Ronald 4,387 br
15 Nov 1917 De Dollart 243 nl
19 Feb 1918 Glencarron 5,117 br
19 Feb 1918 Philadelphian 5,165 br
8 Apr 1918 Tainui (damaged) 9,965 br
10 Apr 1918 Westfield 3,453 br
5 Jun 1918 Argonaut 4,826 am
7 Jun 1918 Brisk 1,662 nw
8 Jun 1918 Hunsgrove 3,063 br
8 Jun 1918 Saima 1,147 br
4 Sep 1918 Dora 7,037 am
5 Sep 1918 Mount Vernon (uss) (damaged) 18,372 am
12 Sep 1918 Galway Castle 7,988 br
16 Sep 1918 Madryn 2,244 br

On the 16th of Jan 1919 U82 surrendered. She was broken up at Blyth in 1919-20.
There was another U 82 in World War Two, launched from its shipyard on 15 Mar 1941 and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 14 May 1941.

5th September 1918 Naval Action - 5th September 1918 The Action of 5 September 1918 was a naval battle 200 miles off the coast of France in the North Atlantic during World War I. The action was fought between a German U-boat and American warships.
Background
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie was a German ocean liner operating between the U.S. and Europe. On the outbreak of the war, she sought refuge in the then-neutral United States to avoid the British Royal Navy and was taken into Bar Harbor, Maine, where she was interned. After America entered World War I in April 1917, the ship was seized and turned over to the United States Navy, who renamed her USS Mount Vernon in honor of Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon was used to transport American troops across the Atlantic to France. U-82, a German submarine, had several successful patrols of the Atlantic to sink any and all Allied shipping.
Action
On the morning of 5 September 1918, Mount Vernon and four destroyers were off France and steaming in convoy toward the U.S. when Mount Vernon was attacked by U-82. The German vessels' periscope was spotted 500 yd off the starboard bow, by a man of Mount Vernon's gun crew; they immediately fired a round from the gun. The shot was a hit. Apparently unaffected by the shot, which reportedly did not harm anyone, U-82 surfaced. The U-boat fired a single torpedo at Mount Vernon and then submerged. The American captain ordered "right full rudder" but the ship could not turn fast enough and was hit. The destroyers USS Winslow, Conner, Nicholson and Wainwright responded immediately and approached the battle area. Once they arrived near Mount Vernon, they observed the damage from a large explosion on Mount Vernon's side. The German commander, seeing the fast-approaching American destroyers, decided not to follow up with a second torpedo, so no further damage to the U.S. auxiliary cruiser was sustained. The four destroyers dropped depth charges for many minutes after Mount Vernon was hit, but they failed to sink the U-boat, which slipped away. Despite this, the American destroyers were credited with saving Mount Vernon from being sunk. Mount Vernon steamed safely back to Brest with the loss of 36 out of the 1,450 people on board. Thirteen others were wounded with all of the American casualties being the result of the single torpedo explosion. The ship suffered considerable damage, but after immediate improvised repairs, she was able to return to Brest under her own steam with an allied warship for additional protection.
Aftermath
Further temporary repairs were made at Brest and from there Mount Vernon proceeded to Boston, Massachusetts for a complete repair. This was Mount Vernon's last battle of the war and one of the bloodier days for the U.S. Navy during the conflict with Germany. U-82 continued to fight, as did the four U.S. destroyers.

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SM U-82

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Those known to have served on
SM U-82
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The Wartime Memories Project - SM U-82 during the Great War -

SM U-82

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Those known to have served on SM U-82during the Great War 1914-1918.

The Wartime Memories Project
- SM U-82 during the Great War -

Those known to have served on
SM U-82
during the Great War 1914-1918.