German Type U 19 submarine

SM U-19 (first row, second from the right)
History
Germany
Name:	U-19
Ordered:	25 November 1910
Builder:	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Cost:	2,450,000 Goldmark
Yard number:	13
Laid down:	20 October 1911
Launched:	10 October 1912
Commissioned:	6 July 1913
Fate:	Surrendered 24 November 1918.
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type U 19 submarine
Displacement:	650 t (640 long tons) surfaced 837 t (824 long tons) submerged
Length:	64.15 m (210 ft 6 in)
Beam:	6.10 m (20 ft 0 in)
Height:	7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught:	3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × MAN 8-cylinder two stroke diesel motors with 1,700 PS (1,677 bhp; 1,250 kW) 2 × AEG double modyn with 1,200 PS (1,184 shp; 883 kW) 320 rpm submerged
Speed:	15.4 knots (28.5 km/h; 17.7 mph) surfaced 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) submerged
Range:	9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 8 kn surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 5 kn submerged
Test depth:	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Boats & landing craft carried:	1 dingi
Complement:	4 officers, 31 men
Armament:	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 gun (from 1916 2 ×) 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 gun (from 1917) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy III Flottille 1 August 1914 – 19 September 1916 Baltic Flotilla 19 September 1916 - 1 May 1917 III Flottille 1 May 1917 – 11 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Constantin Kolbe 1 August 1914 – 15 March 1916 Kptlt. Raimund Weisbach 16 March – 10 August 1916 Oblt.z.S. Johannes Spiess 11 August 1916 – 4 July 1917 Lt.z.S. Heinrich Koch 5 July 1917 – 15 October 1917 Oblt.z.S. Hans Albrecht Liebeskind 25 October – 16 November 1917 Kptlt. Johannes Spiess 17 November 1917 – 31 May 1918 Oblt.z.S. Hans Albrecht Liebeskind 1 June – 11 November 1918
Operations:	12 patrols
Victories:	57 merchant ships (97,921 GRT) 3 merchant ships damaged (4,224 GRT) 1 merchant ship taken as a prize (733 GRT) 3 auxiliary warships sunk (13,220 GRT)

SM U-19 was a German Type U 19 U-boat built for the Imperial German Navy. Her construction was ordered on 25 November 1910, and her keel was laid down on 20 October 1911, at the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. She was launched on 10 October 1912, and commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 6 July 1913.

From 1 August 1914, to 15 March 1916, U-19 was commanded by Constantin Kolbe. During this period she had the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first U-boat casualty of World War I when she was rammed by HMS Badger on 24 October 1914. Her hull was badly damaged, but she survived and was repaired.

On 22 January 1915 the Durward was near the Maas lightship when they saw the U19 on the surface. They tried to escape, but as they could only manage 12 knots they were unable to do so. The mate of the Durward, who was later interviewed by the Daily Mail's special correspondent in Rotterdam related how the second officer, who spoke excellent English, had ordered them to lower a boat and come to talk to them. The captain and crew were given ten minutes to leave the ship. The mate asked the second officer whether he could return to the ship to collect his clothes. He replied 'Sorry, old man, it can't be done. I am in the mercantile marine myself, having been in the North German Lloyd service but now I am doing a bit for my country.' The commander of the U-boat towed the lifeboat to within 100 yards of the Maas lightship, even stopping at one stage to repair the tow when it parted, after which the crew of the Durward said goodbye to the submarine and rowed to the lightship.

Kolbe was relieved by Raimund Weisbach, who had previously served as torpedo officer on U-20 and had (on Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger's orders) launched the torpedo that sank RMS Lusitania. During his brief command, Weisbach carried out an unusual mission: he delivered the revolutionary Roger Casement and two other agents to Banna Strand in Ireland in hopes that they would foment an uprising that would distract the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from World War I.