SM U -15

Austrian U-Boat

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SM U -15     Wikipedia

Seaman Franz Strobl
U-Boat 15

Austro-Hungarian Navy
with the permission of Peter Strobl
http://uboat15.blogspot.com/

SM U-15 was a U-10-class submarine or U-boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I. U-15 was constructed in Germany and launched in April 1915. She was commissioned in October 1915. U-15 was the most successful boat of the U-10 class, sinking six ships totaling more than 8,000 gross register tons. The boat survived the war and was handed over to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.

U-15 was equipped with two 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes located in the front and carried a complement of two torpedoes. In October 1916, U-15's armament was supplemented with a 37 mm/23 (1.5 in) quick-firing gun. This gun was replaced by a 47 mm/23 (1.9 in)  gun in November 1917.

SM U-15 was commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 6 October under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Friedrich Schlosser.

On 28 November, Linienschiffsleutnant Friedrich Fähndrich was assigned to the  command of the boat.On 18 December, Fähndrich and U-15 attacked and sank two Albanian sailing vessels

near Lezhë. The 'Erzen', of 25 tons, and the 'Figlio Preligiona', of 80 GRT.

After being relieved by Linienschiffsleutnant Franz Rzemenowsky von Trautenegg from late March to early May 1916, Fähndrich resumed command on 10 May. One week later, on 17 May,

 U-15 torpedoed and sank the 2,237 tons Italian steamer 'Stura' in the Adriatic some 18 nautical miles  east of Brindisi.

The following month, Fähndrich and the crew of U-15 scored their second double kill when they sank the Italian auxiliary cruiser 'Cittá di Messina' 3,495 tons and the French destroyer

 'Fourche' 745 tons.

 While about 20 nautical miles (37 km) east of Otranto on 23 June, U-15 torpedoed and sank 'Cittá di Messina'. The escorting destroyer 'Fourche' began a depth

 charge attack on U-15 and assumed success when an oil slick appeared on the surface. After the captain of Fourche turned his attentions to the rescue 'Cittá di Messina's' survivors, U-15

 launched a single torpedo that struck 'Fourche' amidships and sank her.

On 25 October, U-15, back under the command of von Trautenegg

 sank the 2,207 tons Italian steamer 'Polcevera', a sister ship to 'Stura' (sunk by U-15 in May).

 'Polcevera' was the lastship sunk by U-15.

From October 1916 to the end of the fighting in November 1918, U-15's activities are unknown. U-15 was at Pola at the end of the war when Austria-Hungary handed her over to Italy.

U-15 was scrapped at Pola by 1920.