View source for SMS Vulkan

{{Short description|1908 U-boat salvage tug}}
{{About|the 1908 German navy U-boat salvage tug|the 1843 Austrian navy paddle steamer|SMS Vulcano}}

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{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Bundesarchiv DVM 10 Bild-23-61-54, U-Boothebeschiff "SMS Vulkan".jpg
| Ship caption = SMS ''Vulkan''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = [[German Empire]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
| Ship name = SMS ''Vulkan''
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| Ship builder = [[Howaldtswerke]], [[Kiel]]
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| Ship laid down = 1907
| Ship launched = 28 September 1907
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| Ship commissioned = 4 March 1908
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| Ship fate = Sank 6 April 1919
| Ship homeport = [[Kiel]]
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Ship displacement = 1595 tons
| Ship length = {{convert|85.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|16.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|3.85|m|ft|abbr=on}}
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| Ship speed = 12 [[knot (unit)|knots]]
| Ship range = 3,000 [[nautical mile|nm]]
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| Ship complement = 108 men
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[[File:SMS Vulkan, U-Boat salvage tug during WWI, artwork by R. Schmidt (27443636454).jpg|300px|right|thumb|''Vulkan'' during WWI, by R. Schmidt]]
'''SMS ''Vulkan''''' was a [[U-boat]] [[salvage tug]] in the [[Kaiserliche Marine]] laid down in 1907 and commissioned in 1908. The ship displaced 1595 tons and had a top speed of 12 knots.

The famous U-boat commander [[Max Valentiner]] served as salvage officer on ''Vulkan'' in early 1911. On 17 January 1911, he and the crew saved all 30 men from [[SM U-3 (Germany)|''U-3'']] by rescuing them via a [[torpedo tube]] after it sank near [[Kiel]] harbour in [[Heikendorfer Bay]] because of an unclosed ventilation shaft valve. Amongst the saved crew was [[Otto Weddigen]], the later commander of {{SMU|U-9||2}} and [[Paul Clarrendorf]], the commander of ''U-boot-Abnahme-Kommando'' in Kiel which enlisted U-boat crews.

[[File:Howaldtswerke nr473-1.jpg|thumb|left|''Vulkan'' during construction]]
''Vulkan'' is also famous for salvaging two U-boats, {{SMU|U-30|Germany|2}} on 27 August 1915 and {{SMU|UC-45||2}} on 17 September 1917.

At the end of World War One on 11 November 1918 the vessel surrendered to the [[United Kingdom|British]] forces together with the larger salvage tug {{SMS|Cyclop|1916|6}}. It sank en route to [[Harwich]] on 6 April 1919 in position {{coord|54|54|N|06|18|E|scale:10000000}}.

==See also==
* [[Russian salvage ship Kommuna]]

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|SMS Vulkan (ship, 1907)}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220129/http://www.u-boot-net.de/include.php?path=content%2Fcontent.php&contentid=70 u-boot-net.de webpage about SMS Vulkan] (in German)
*[http://www.max-valentiner.dk/ max-valentiner.dk webpage about Max Valentiner and salvage of U-3 in 1911] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127135757/http://www.max-valentiner.dk/ |date=2017-11-27 }} (in Danish)

{{1919 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vulkan}}
[[Category:Auxiliary ships of the Imperial German Navy]]
[[Category:World War I auxiliary ships of Germany]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the North Sea]]
[[Category:1907 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1919]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kiel]]


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