List of the largest ships hit by U-boats in World War I

During the First World War, U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s of the German Imperial Navy and the Austro-Hungarian Navy

Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....

sank over 6,000 Allied

Allies of World War I

The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...

and neutral ships totaling over 14,200,000 tons. Many additional ships that are not included in those totals were damaged, but were able to return to service after repairs. This list contains the approximately 100 ships over 10,000 tons that were either damaged or sunk by U-boats by torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es, submarine-laid mines

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

, gunfire, or other means.

List

Ships listed are presented in descending order on the tonnage figure. Those that were damaged are indicated with an asterisk after their names. Three ships—, , and —appear on the list twice. Justicia was damaged by on 19 July 1918 and sunk while under tow the following day by . Celtic was damaged by and in separate incidents in February 1917 and March 1918, respectively. Southland was seriously damaged by in September 1915 and sunk by in June 1917. All U-boats listed are German unless otherwise noted in the table.

Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Otto Weddigen

Otto Weddigen

Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...

in sank three Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

cruisers that appear on the list—, , and —in a little more than an hour during the action of 22 September 1914

Action of 22 September 1914

The Action of 22 September 1914 was a naval engagement that took place during the First World War, in which three Royal Navy cruisers were sunk by one German submarine while on patrol. Approximately 1450 sailors were killed, and there was a public outcry at the losses...

. The first three victims of UB-14s career—the , the British troopship , and the troopship (which was seriously damaged) in July, August, and September 1915, respectively—were all on the list.

Four U-boat commanders appear four or more times on the list. Kptlt. Hans Rose

Hans Rose

Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...

in sank two ships and damaged two others between June 1917 and April 1918, while Kplt. Otto Steinbrinck

Otto Steinbrinck

Brigadier General Otto Steinbrinck was a German industrialist and an accused in the Nuremberg Flick Trial....

in did the same between March and July 1917. Between October 1916 and October 1918, Kptlt. Wolfgang Steinbauer sank three ships on the list in and damaged a fourth in . Kptlt. Gustav Sieß—responsible for sinking the largest ship on the list, the hospital ship (the younger sister ship

Sister ship

A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...

of )—topped the list with five entries, four (including Britannic) sunk in and a fifth sunk in , all between April 1916 and April 1917. Other notable commanders that appear on the list are Kptlt. Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (three times) who sank the most tonnage of any submarine commander ever, and Linienschiffsleutnant Georg Ritter von Trapp

Georg Ritter von Trapp

Korvettenkapitän Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp , known as Baron von Trapp, was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer. His exploits at sea during World War I earned him numerous decorations, including the prestigious Military Order of Maria Theresa...

of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....

(two times), known as the patriarch of the family made famous in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...

and its subsequent film adaptation

The Sound of Music (film)

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...

Largest ships hit by U-boats in World War I
Ship	Nationality	Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement Displacement (ship) A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load... Tons	U-boat	Commander	Notes
Britannic	British	48,758	U-073	Gustav Sieß	Sunk by Mine
Justicia	British	32,234	UB-064	Otto von Schrader	Damaged, taken under tow
Justicia	British	32,234	UB-124	Hans Oskar Wutsdorff	Sunk while under tow from 1st attack
Lusitania	British	30,396	U-020	Walther Schwieger Walther Schwieger Lieutenant Walther Schwieger was a German U-boat commander during the First World War, noted for his role in the sinking of the Lusitania....	sunk with great loss of life
Jean Bart	French	22,189	U-012	Egon Lerch	Returned to port under own power
Celtic	British	20,904	U-080	Alfred von Glasenapp	Struck mine, returned to port under tow
Celtic	British	20,904	UB-077	Wilhelm Meyer	Torpedoed, returned to port under tow
Merion	British	19,380	UB-008	Ernst von Voigt	Decoy disguised as HMS Tiger, sunk
Lapland	British	18,565	UC-065	Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck Brigadier General Otto Steinbrinck was a German industrialist and an accused in the Nuremberg Flick Trial....	Struck mine, returned to port
Franconia	British	18,510	UB-047	Wolfgang Steinbauer	Torpedoed while empty
Voltaire	French	18,400	UB-048	Wolfgang Steinbauer	Lightly damaged by 2 torpedoes
Mount Vernon	American	18,372	U-082	Heinrich Middendorf	Heavy damage, returned to port under own power
Danton	French	18,300	U-064	Robert Moraht	Torpedoed and sunk
President Lincoln	American	18,168	U-090	Walter Remy	Torpedoed and sunk, most lives saved
Laconia	British	18,099	U-050	Gerhard Berger
Minnesota	American	18,000	U-117	Otto Dröscher
Britannia	British	16,350	UB-050	Heinrich Kukat
Covington	American	16,339	U-086	Helmut Patzig
Arabic	British	15,801	U-024	Rudolf Schneider
Rurik	Russian	15,544	UC-027	Karl Vesper
Formidable	British	15,000	U-024	Rudolf Schneider
Gallia	French	14,966	U-035	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière
Majestic	British	14,900	U-021	Otto Hersing
Laurentic	British	14,892	U-080	Alfred von Glasenapp
Transylvania	British	14,348	U-063	Otto Schultze Otto Schultze Otto Schultze was a Generaladmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Pour le Mérite during World War I. The Pour le Mérite was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I...
Tuscania	British	14,348	UB-077	Wilhelm Meyer
Minnewaska	British	14,317	UC-023	Johannes Kirchner
Drake	British	14,300	U-079	Otto Rohrbeck
Ivernia	British	14,278	UB-047	Wolfgang Steinbauer
King Alfred	British	14,150	UC-031	Kurt Siewert
Russell	British	14,000	U-073	Gustav Sieß
Cornwallis	British	14,000	U-032	Kurt Hartwig
Aurania	British	13,936	UB-067	Gerhard Schulz
Tubantia	Dutch	13,911	UB-013	Arthur Metz
La Provence	French	13,753	U-035	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière
Minnehaha	British	13,714	U-048	Karl Edeling
San Diego	American	13,680	U-156	Richard Feldt
Carpathia	British	13,603	U-055	Wilhelm Werner
Minneapolis	British	13,543	U-035	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière
Minnetonka	British	13,528	U-064	Robert Moraht
Peresvyet	Russian	13,500	U-073	Gustav Sieß
Avenger	British	13,441	U-069	Ernst Wilhelms
Regina Margherita	Italian	13,427	UC-014	Franz Becker
Alaunia	British	13,405	UC-016	Egon von Werner
Andania	British	13,405	U-046	Leo Hillebrand
Cymric	British	13,370	U-020	Walther Schwieger Walther Schwieger Lieutenant Walther Schwieger was a German U-boat commander during the First World War, noted for his role in the sinking of the Lusitania....
Orama	British	12,927	U-062	Ernst Hashagen
Suffren	French	12,750	U-052	Hans Walther
Athos	French	12,644	U-065	Hermann von Fischel
Rijndam	Dutch	12,527	UC-001	Egon von Werner
Calgarian	British	12,515	U-019	Johannes Spieß
Missanabie	British	12,469	UB-087	Karl Petri
Maloja	British	12,431	UC-006	Matthias Graf von Schmettow
Leon Gambetta	French	12,416	U-005	Georg Ritter von Trapp Georg Ritter von Trapp Korvettenkapitän Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp , known as Baron von Trapp, was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer. His exploits at sea during World War I earned him numerous decorations, including the prestigious Military Order of Maria Theresa...
Medina	British	12,350	UB-031	Thomas Bieber
Finland	American	12,222	U-093	Helmut Gerlach
Argyllshire	British	12,097	UC-046	Friedrich Moecke
Otway	British	12,077	UC-049	Karl Petri
Persic	British	12,045	UB-087	Karl Petri
Orsova	British	12,036	UC-068	Hans Degetau
Burdigala	French	12,009	U-073	Gustav Sieß
Asturias	British	12,002	UC-066	Herbert Pustkuchen
Aboukir	British	12,000	U-009	Otto Weddigen Otto Weddigen Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...
Cressy	British	12,000	U-009	Otto Weddigen Otto Weddigen Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...
Hogue	British	12,000	U-009	Otto Weddigen Otto Weddigen Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I.-Biography and career:He was born in Herford and started his military career in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1901...
Afric	British	11,999	UC-066	Herbert Pustkuchen
Triumph	British	11,985	U-021	Otto Hersing
Southland	British	11,899	UB-014	Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as Vice Admiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-World War I:...
Southland	British	11,899	U-070	Otto Wünsche
Haverford	British	11,635	U-094	Alfred Saalwächter Alfred Saalwächter Alfred Saalwächter was a German U-boat commander during World War I and General Admiral during World War II.-Early life:...
Volturno	Italian	11,495	UB-050	Franz Becker
Demerara	British	11,484	U-084	Walter Roehr
Drina	British	11,483	UC-065	Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck Brigadier General Otto Steinbrinck was a German industrialist and an accused in the Nuremberg Flick Trial....
Milazzo	Italian	11,477	U-014	Georg Ritter von Trapp Georg Ritter von Trapp Korvettenkapitän Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp , known as Baron von Trapp, was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer. His exploits at sea during World War I earned him numerous decorations, including the prestigious Military Order of Maria Theresa...
Llandovery Castle	British	11,423	U-086	Helmut Patzig
Rotorua	British	11,140	UC-017	Ralph Wenninger
Berrima	British	11,137	U-084	Walter Roehr
Ballarat	British	11,120	UB-032	Max Viebeg
Royal Edward	Canadian	11,117	UB-014	Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as Vice Admiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-World War I:...
Cadillac	British	11,106	U-053	Hans Rose Hans Rose Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...
Gaulois	French	11,100	UB-047	Wolfgang Steinbauer
Ariadne	British	11,000	UC-065	Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck Brigadier General Otto Steinbrinck was a German industrialist and an accused in the Nuremberg Flick Trial....
Cameronia	British	10,963	U-033	Gustav Sieß
Yasaka MaruYasaka Maru	Japanese	10,932	U-038	Max Valentiner Max Valentiner Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner was a German U-boat commander during World War I.He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest Prussian military order until the end of the war, for his achievements.He was also branded...
Hesperian	British	10,920	U-020	Walther Schwieger Walther Schwieger Lieutenant Walther Schwieger was a German U-boat commander during the First World War, noted for his role in the sinking of the Lusitania....
Roxburgh	British	10,850	U-038	Max Valentiner Max Valentiner Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner was a German U-boat commander during World War I.He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest Prussian military order until the end of the war, for his achievements.He was also branded...
Hampshire	British	10,850	U-075	Curt Beitzen
New York	American	10,798	UC-065	Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck Brigadier General Otto Steinbrinck was a German industrialist and an accused in the Nuremberg Flick Trial....
Virginian	British	10,757	U-102	Ernst Killmann
Hurunui	British	10,644	U-094	Martin Schwab
Marmora	British	10,509	UB-064	Otto von Schrader
Vestris	British	10,494	UB-054	Egon von Werner
Devonian	British	10,435	U-053	Hans Rose Hans Rose Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...
Winifredian	British	10,422	UC-076	Wilhelm Barten
Ultonia	British	10,402	U-053	Hans Rose Hans Rose Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...
Rowanmore	British	10,320	U-057	Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg
O. B. Jennings	American	10,289	U-140	Waldemar Kophamel Waldemar Kophamel Commander Waldemar Kophamel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I....
San Melito	British	10,160	U-038	Max Valentiner Max Valentiner Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner was a German U-boat commander during World War I.He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, the highest Prussian military order until the end of the war, for his achievements.He was also branded...
San hilario	British	10,157	U-043	Hellmuth Jürst
Amalfi	Italian	10,118	UB-014	Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as Vice Admiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-World War I:...
San Nazario	British	10,064	U-053	Hans Rose Hans Rose Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...
Raranga	British	10,040	UC-071	Walter Warzecha Walter Warzecha Walter Wilhelm Julius Warzecha was a German naval commander and high-ranking officer of the Kriegsmarine. Serving in the rank of General Admiral he succeeded General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg as the last Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine after the end of World War II.-Biography:Walter...
Amazon	British	10,037	U-110	Karl Kroll

* damaged but not sunk

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