U Boat - 9

I Flotille

Kptlt. Otto Weddigen (1882 - 1915)

command 1 Aug 1914 - 11 Jan 1915

recepient of the:

Iron Cross 2nd Class

Iron Cross 1st Class

Military Order of Max Joseph Bavaria

Pour le Merite

u -9 in rough seas

SMU - 9

SMU - 9 Crew

                                                                                                               Name                                                               Rank                                                    served on 

                                                                                                        Amberger    Gustav                                               KptLt                                                      U-9,U-80,U-58

                                                                                                        Berninghaus Reinhart                                            Oberleutnant z.S                                     U-9, U-21, U-72, U-64, UC-54          

                                                                                                       Brouwer      Walther                                              Lieutnant z.S.                                         U-9 

                                                                                                       Brohan         Richard                                             Lieutnant z.S.                                          U-9

                                                                                                       Buch            Gustav                                               KptLt                                                      U-9, UC-4, UB-10, UC-36

                                                                                                       Carls            Rolf                                                  KptLt                                                      U-9, U-124

                                                                                                       Cranz           Wilhelm                                            KptLt                                                      U-9, UB-118

                                                                                                       Cuno            Walter                                               KptLt                                                      U-9

                                                                                                       Dencher       August                                               Lieutnant z. S d.r.                                   U-9, UC-78, UC-58

                                                                                                       Dilg             Hermann                                            Marine-Oberingenieur                           UC-11, U-9, U-100

                                                                                                       Egidy           Heinrich                                            KptLt                                                      U-9 

                                                                                                       Ettel             Erwin                                                Lieutnant z.S                                           U-9, U-35, U-34, UB-49

                                                                                                       Feddersen    Roy                                                   Lieutnant z.S                                           U-9, UB-80

                                                                                                       Groβ            Freidrich                                           Lieutnant z.S.d.R                                    UB-28, U-9, U-61

                                                                                                       Götze           Alfred                                                KptLt                                                     U-9, U-86

                                                                                                       Hamm          Max                                                   Oberleutnant z.S                                     U-9, UC-4, UB-24, UB-28

                                                                                                       Hermann      Peter                                                  KptLt                                                      U-9, U-58

                                                                                                       Hillers         Eduard                                               Lieutnant z.S.d.R   

                                                                                                       Hoff             Carl                                                   Oberleutnant z.S                                     U-9, UB-62, UB-94, UB-146

                                                                                                       Kleikamp     Gustav                                               Lieutnant z.S                                           U-9

                                                                                                       Kley             Herbert                                              Lieutnant z.S.d.R                                    U-9

                                                                                                       Koch            Heinrich                                            Lieutnant z.S.d.R                                     U-9, UC-28, U-19, UB-5, UC-27, UB-60      

                                                                                                       Möller         Fedor                                                 Marine-Oberingenieur                            U-71, U-61, U-9

                                                                                                       Rasmus       Ulrich                                                 KptLt                                                       U-9, U-14, U-32, UC-11

                                                                                                       Rikowski    Otto                                                                                                                    U-9, U-20, U-79, U-94

                                                                                                        Schön          Karl                                                   Marine-Oberingenieur                             U-9, U-70                                                                 

                                                                                                       Seemann     Bruno                                                 Lieutnant z.S.d.R                                      U-9, UC-36

                                                                                                       Seuffer        Rudolph                                             KptLt                                                       U-9, UC-50 

                                                                                                       Spieβ          Johannes                                            KptLt                                                       U-9,UC-27,U-19,U-52,U-135

                                                                                                       Stöter          Karl                                                   Oberleutnant z.S                                      U-1,U-16,U-9,U-56,U-19,UB-35

                                                                                                       Thedsen      Otto                                                   U-Obermaschinist                                    U-9,U-10,U-16,UC-91

                                                                                                       Ulrich         Ernst                                                  Oberleutnant z.S                                      U9,U-37,U-17,U-64,UB-11,UB-14

                                                                                                       Walther      Hans                                                  KptLt                                                        U-3, U-9, U-17, U-52

                                                                                                       Weddigen   Otto                                                   KptLt                                                        U-9, U-29

Ships sunk

                            22 Sept. 1914                             HMS 'Aboukir'               12,000ton British Warship                         

        22 Sept. 1914                             HMS 'Cressey'                  12,000ton British Warship                           

        22 Sept 1914                              HMS 'Hogue'                   12,000ton     British Warship                         

     15 Oct 1914                                HMS 'Hawke'                 7,350tons   British Warship        

U - 9

Early on September 22^nd 1914 the German submarine U9 under the command of Commander Otto Weddigen sighted the 'Cressy', 'Aboukir' and 'Hogue' steaming NNE at 10 knots without zigzagging. Although the patrols were supposed to maintain 12-13 knots and zigzag the old cruisers were unable to maintain that speed and the zigzagging order was widely ignored as there had been no submarines sighted in the area during the war.

U9 maneuvered to attack and at about 6.25 AM fired a single torpedo at 'Aboukir,' which stuck her on her port side. 'Aboukir' rapidly suffered heavy flooding and despite counter flooding developed a 20 degree list and lost engine power. It was soon clear that she was a lost cause and Captain Drummond ordered her to be abandoned, although only one boat had survived the attack so most crew had to jump into the sea. At first Drummond thought that 'Aboukir' had been mined and signaled the other two cruisers to close and assist but he soon realized that it was a torpedo attack and ordered the other cruisers away, but too late.

As 'Aboukir' rolled over and sank, half an hour after being attacked, U9 fired two torpedoes at HMS 'Hogue' that hit her amidships and rapidly flooded her engine room. Captain Nicholson of Hogue had stopped the ship to lower boats to rescue the crew of 'Aboukir', thinking that as he was the other side of 'Aboukir' from U9 he would be safe. Unfortunately U9 had maneuvered around 'Aboukir' and attacked 'Hogue' from a range of only 300 yards.

The firing of two torpedoes affected the trim of U9 which broke the surface briefly and was fired on by 'Hogue' without effect.

It only took Hogue ten minutes to sink as U9 headed for HMS 'Cressy'. 'Cressy,' under Captain Johnson, had also stopped to lower boats but got underway on sighting a periscope. At about 7.20 AM however U9 fired two torpedoes, one of which just missed but the other hit 'Cressy' on her starboard side, 'Cressy' briefly firing on U9s periscope with no effect.

The damage to Cressy' was not fatal but U9 turned round and fired her last torpedo which hit 'Cressy' sinking her within a quarter of an hour.

HMS 'Aboukir'

HMS 'Cressey'

                   HMS ' Hogue'                          

HMS 'Hawke'

Kptlt. Otto Weddigen took command of U-29 on 16 Feb 1915

and served until 18 Mar 1915 when his U-Boat was rammed by the

HMS 'Dreadnought' and sank with all hands lost.

HMS 'Dreadnought'

 U - 29

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