View source for SM U-151

{{Short description|German U-boat from WW1}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=German submarine activities on the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada (1920) (14596181448).jpg
|Ship caption=''U-151'' at sea
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship class=
|Ship name=''U-151''
|Ship ordered=29 November 1916
|Ship builder=[[Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik]], [[Hamburg]]
|Ship yard number= 303
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=4 April 1917
|Ship commissioned=21 July 1917
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship refit=
|Ship captured=Surrendered to France at [[Cherbourg]]
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Sunk as target ship at Cherbourg, 7 June 1921
|Ship homeport=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=20-21}}
|Ship class=[[Type U 151 submarine]]
|Ship type=
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1512|t|LT|lk=on}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|1875|t|LT}} (submerged)
*{{convert|2272|t|LT}} (total)
|Ship length=*{{convert|65.00|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
*{{convert|57.00|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} ([[pressure hull]])
|Ship beam=*{{convert|8.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a)
*{{convert|5.80|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (pressure hull)
|Ship height={{convert|9.25|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|5.30|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|800|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|800|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (submerged)
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts, 2 × {{convert|1.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}} propellers
|Ship speed=*{{convert|12.4|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|5.2|kn}} submerged
|Ship range={{convert|25000|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|5.5|kn}} surfaced, {{convert|65|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|3|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth={{convert|50|m|ft}}
|Ship boats=
|Ship complement=6 officers, 50 enlisted
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*2 {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} bow [[torpedo tube]]s 
*18 [[torpedo]]es
*2 × [[15 cm SK L/45|{{convert|15|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK L/45]] [[deck gun]]s with 1672 rounds
*2 × [[8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK L/30]] deck guns with 764 rounds
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label=
|partof=*U-Kreuzer Flotilla
*21 July 1917 – 11 November 1918
|codes=
|commanders=*''[[K.Kapt.]]'' [[Waldemar Kophamel]]
*21 July –26 December 1917
*''K.Kapt.'' Heinrich von Nostitz und Jänckendorff
*27 December 1917 – 11 November 1918
|operations=4 patrols
|victories=*34 merchant ships sunk <br />({{GRT|88,395}})
*6 merchant ships damaged <br />({{GRT|13,267}})
*1 warship damaged <br />(1,025 tons)
}}
|}

'''SM ''U-151''''' or '''SM ''Unterseeboot 151''''' (ex '''''U Oldenburg''''') was a [[World War I]] U-boat of the [[Imperial German Navy]], constructed by [[Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik]] at [[Hamburg]] and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 4 April 1917. From 1917 until the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice]] in November 1918 she was part of the [[U-Kreuzer Flotilla]], and was responsible for 34 ships sunk ({{GRT|88,395}}) and 7 ships damaged (13,267 GRT and 1,025 tons).<ref name="u151"/>

==Background==
''U-151'' was originally one of seven {{GS|Deutschland||2}} class U-boats designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany in 1916. Five of the submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers) equipped with two [[15 cm SK L/45|{{convert|15|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK L/45]] [[deck gun]]s, including ''U-151'' which was originally to have been named ''Oldenburg''. The [[Type U 151 submarine|Type U 151]] class were the largest U-boats of World War I.

==Service history==
''U-151'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 21 July 1917. From 21 July to 26 December 1917 she was commanded by [[Waldemar Kophamel]] who took ''U-151'' on a long-range cruise which eventually covered a total of 12,000 miles. On 19 September 1917 ''U-151'' claimed her first victim, the 3,104 GRT French [[sailing ship]] ''Blanche'' in the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. On 2 or 12 October 1917 (sources differ), she collided with the [[Royal Navy]] [[Q-ship]] {{HMS|Begonia|1915|6}} in the Atlantic Ocean off [[Casablanca]], [[French Morocco]], sinking ''Begonia''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrRNA-L.htm |title=BRITISH NAVAL VESSELS LOST AT SEA Part 1 of 2 - Abadol (oiler) to Lynx (destroyer) |publisher=Naval History |access-date=2 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=4307 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311000608/http://clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=4307 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=11 March 2016 |title=HMS BEGONIA |publisher=Clydebuilt |access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> On 20 November 1917 ''U-151'' captured the [[steamship]] ''Johan Mjelde'', and scuttled her on 26 November after transferring 22 tons of her cargo of [[copper]].

===American cruise===
[[File:Submarines Cherbourg NH 43778.jpg|thumb|left|U-151 in French hands after the war, circa 1920]]
''U-151'' left [[Kiel]] on 14 April 1918 commanded by ''[[Korvettenkapitän]]'' Heinrich von Nostitz und Jänckendorff, her mission to attack American shipping. She arrived off the [[United States East Coast]] on 21 May, laid [[Naval mine|mines]] off the [[Delaware Capes]] and cut the submerged telegraph cables which connected [[New York City]] with [[Nova Scotia]]. On 25 May she stopped three American [[schooner]]s off [[Virginia]], took their crews prisoner, and sank the three ships by gunfire.

On 2 June 1918, known to some historians as "Black Sunday", ''U-151'' sank six American ships and damaged one off the coast of [[New Jersey]] in the space of a few hours. The next day the [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''Herbert L. Pratt'' struck a mine previously laid by ''U-151'' in the area, but the ''Pratt'' was later salvaged.<ref name= "Evening Public Ledger p. 1">{{harvnb|Evening Public Ledger|1918|p=1}}</ref> Thirteen people died in the seven sinkings, their deaths caused by a capsized [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] from {{SS|Carolina}}.<ref>{{cite web| title ="Black Sunday" – Victims of U-151| publisher =Scuba Diving – New Jersey & Long Island New York| url =http://njscuba.net/sites/site_black_sunday.html| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090302224930/http://njscuba.net/sites/site_black_sunday.html| archive-date =2 March 2009| df =dmy-all}}</ref>

On 9 June 1918, ''U-151'' stopped the [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[cargo ship]] ''Vindeggen'' off [[Cape Hatteras]], [[North Carolina]]. [[Scuttling]] charges were rigged aboard her, then she was escorted outside the shipping lane under a [[prize crew]]. Von Nostitz then transferred 70 tons of copper ingots from ''Vindeggen'' to ''U-151''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Hadley | first = Michael L. | author2 = Roger Flynn Sarty | title = Tin-pots and Pirate Ships | publisher = McGill-Queen's Press | year = 1991 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/tinpotspirateshi0000hadl/page/244 244–245] | url = https://archive.org/details/tinpotspirateshi0000hadl/page/244 | isbn = 0-7735-0778-7 | url-access = registration }}</ref> On 14 June ''U-151'' followed this with the sinking of the Norwegian [[barque]] ''Samoa'', en route from [[Walvis Bay]], [[South-West Africa]], to [[Perth Amboy]], New Jersey, with a cargo of [[copper ore]], by gunfire {{convert|90|mi}}s off the Virginia coast. There were no casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?19943 |title=SV Samoa (+1918) |website=Wrecksite |access-date=21 October 2022}}</ref> On 18 June, ''U-151'' sank the steamship {{SS|Dwinsk}}, and then loitered near ''Dwinsk''{{'}}s lifeboats in the hopes that more [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] shipping would be attracted to them.<ref name=NoHeritage>{{cite web | url = http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=cftie | title = S/S C. F. Tietgen, Scandinavian America Line | publisher = Norway-Heritage | access-date = 20 February 2008 }}</ref>  Through this ruse, she launched [[torpedo]]es at the U.S. Navy [[auxiliary cruiser]] and [[troopship]] {{USS|Von Steuben|ID-3017|6}}, but missed and was instead [[depth charge]]d by  ''Von Steuben''. On 28 June, ''U-151'' captured SS ''Dictator'' and made its crew prisoners of war. Among those taken were four men from Newfoundland.

''U-151'' returned to Kiel on 20 July 1918 after a 94-day cruise in which she had covered a distance of {{convert|10915|nmi|abbr=on}}. Her commander reported that she had sunk 23 ships totalling 61,000 tons and had laid mines responsible for the sinking of another four vessels.{{sfn|Gibson|Prendergast|2002|p=308}}

==Fate==
At the end of the war ''U-151'' surrendered to [[France]] at [[Cherbourg]]. The [[French Navy]] sank her as a target on 7 June 1921.{{sfn|McCartney|2002}}

==Summary of raiding history==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="140px"|Date
! width="140px"|Name
! width="160px"|Nationality
! width="25px" |Tonnage<ref group=Note name=tonnage>Merchant ship tonnages are in [[gross register tons]]. Military vessels are listed by tons [[displacement (ship)|displacement]].</ref>
! width="160px"|Fate<ref name="u151">{{cite Uboat.net
|id=u151
|name=U 151
|type=1boat
|access-date=5 June 2018
}}</ref>
|-
|align="right"|19 September 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1917#19 September|''Blanche'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|France|civil}}
|align="right"|3,104
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|1 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#1 October|''Etna'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|civil}}
|align="right"|5,604
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#2 October|''Viajante'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal|civil}}
|align="right"|377
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|4 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#4 October|''Bygdønes'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|2,849
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|12 October 1917
|align="left" |{{HMS|Parthian|1916|6}}
|align="left" |{{navy|United Kingdom}}
|align="right"|1,025
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|13 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#13 October|''Caprera'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|civil}}
|align="right"|5,040
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|19 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#19 October|''Harpon'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|France|civil}}
|align="right"|1,484
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|20 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#20 October|''Moyori Maru'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Empire of Japan|civil}}
|align="right"|3,746
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|21 October 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1917#21 October|''Gryfevale'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,437
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#2 November|''Acary'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Brazil|civil}}
|align="right"|4,275
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#2 November|''Guahyba'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Brazil|civil}}
|align="right"|1,891
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|16 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#16 November|''Margaret L. Roberts'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|535
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|21 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#21 November|''Sobral'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|1,075
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|22 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#22 November|''Tijuca'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|France|civil}}
|align="right"|2,543
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#23 November|''Trombetas'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal|civil}}
|align="right"|235
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|26 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#26 November|''Johan Mjelde'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|2,049
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|4 December 1917
|align="left" |''Claudio''
|align="left" |{{flag|Spain|civil}}
|align="right"|2,588
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|24 May 1918
|align="left" |''Edna''
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|325
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|25 May 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in May 1918#25 May|''Hattie Dunn'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|435
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|25 May 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in May 1918#25 May|''Hauppauge'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|1,446
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Carolina'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|5,093
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Edward H. Cole'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|1,791
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |''Edward R. Baird Jr''
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|279
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Isabel B. Wiley'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|776
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Jacob M. Haskell'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|1,778
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Texel'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|3,210
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|2 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#2 June|''Winneconne'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|1,869
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|3 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#3 June|''Samuel C. Mengel'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|915
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|3 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#3 June|''Herbert L. Pratt'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|7,145
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|4 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#4 June|''Eidsvold'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|1,570
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|5 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#5 June|''Harpathian'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,588
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|5 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#5 June|''Vinland'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|1,143
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|8 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#8 June|''Pinar Del Rio'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|civil}}
|align="right"|2,504
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|10 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#10 June|''Henrik Lund'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|4,226
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|10 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#10 June|''Vindeggen'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|3,179
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|14 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#14 June|''Kringsjaa'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|1,750
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|14 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#14 June|''Samoa'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|1,138
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|18 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#18 June|''Dwinsk'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|8,173
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|22 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#22 June|''Chilier'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Belgium|civil}}
|align="right"|2,966
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#23 June|''Augvald'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway|civil}}
|align="right"|3,406
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|28 June 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in June 1918#28 June|''Dictator'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|125
|align="left" |Sunk
|}

==See also==
* [[SS Kronprinz Wilhelm|USS ''Von Steuben'']], one of the ships she unsuccessfully attacked in 1918.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography== 
*{{cite news |title= Stung by the Sea Asp, the Tanker Pratt lay partially submerged off Lewes|last=Evening Public Ledger|author-link=Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1918-06-05/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=06%2F05%2F1918&index=15&rows=20&sequence=1&date2=06%2F05%2F1918&words=&dateFilterType=range&page=1|newspaper=[[Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|Evening Public Ledger]] |location=Philadelphia |oclc=701513196|date=June 5, 1918|access-date= June 5, 2018 }}
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = R.H. | last2= Prendergast | first2 = Maurice | title = The German Submarine War 1914-1918 | publisher = Periscope Publishing Ltd. | year = 2002 | isbn = 1-904381-08-1}}
*{{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}
*{{cite book | last = Jung | first = Dieter | title = Die Schiffe der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918 und ihr Verbleib |trans-title=German Imperial Navy ships 1914-1918 and their fate | publisher = [[Bernard & Graefe]] | location= Bonn | year = 2004 | isbn = 3-7637-6247-7 | language = de }}
*{{cite book |last1=McCartney |first1=Innes |title=Lost patrols : submarine wrecks of the English Channel |date=2002 |publisher=Periscope |location=Penzance |isbn=978-1-90438-104-4}}
* Karl Plath: ''U-Kreuzer 151 greift an. U-Kreuzerfahrten nach Afrika und Amerika'', Potsdam (Voggenreiter) 1937. English edition: Celestino Corraliza (Ed.): ''U-Cruiser 151 Attacks'', Trident Publishing 2022. ISBN 1959764551. ISBN 978-1959764557

==External links==
*{{cite Uboat.net
|id=151 
|name=U 151
|type=1sub
}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070707065916/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_22/ww12.htm  For a discussion of the impact of this boat on the U.S. submarine effort in WWI]
* [https://archive.org/stream/pacificmarinerev1518paci#page/n590/mode/1up Photo, ''Herbert L. Pratt'' grounded after making way inshore.]

{{German Type U 151 submarine}}
{{1917 shipwrecks}}
{{1921 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0151}}
[[Category:German Type U 151 submarines]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1917]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1917]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1921]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1921]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:1917 ships]]