SM U-35 (Germany)

The following is a verbatim transcription of the recorded activities of SM U-35 known to British Naval Intelligence, Room 40 O.B.:[10]

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" SM U-35.

Kptlt. Kophamel til January 1916, then Kptlt. von Arnauld de la Periere til 1918, then Kptlt. von Voigt. Was completed at Kiel early in November 1914 and did trials at the School from 15 November 1914 – 12 January 1915. She then left for service in the North Sea, and joined the 2nd Half Flotilla.

• 19–21 January 1915. Bight patrol.
•  ? 23–26 January 1915. Bight patrol.
• 1 February 1915. Bight patrol.
• 7–20 March 1915. Channel via Dover to Irish Sea.
• 29 April – 2 May 1915. North Sea. Sank 1 S.S. Returned with engine trouble.
• 29 May – 23 June 1915. Northabout to S. of Ireland. 5 S.S., 9 sailing vessels, sunk.
• 4–23 August 1915. To Mediterranean, Northabout, sank 3 sailing vessels, and arrived Cattaro 23 August 1915, where she joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.
• 12–22 September 1915. Left Cattaro and sank 3 S.S., one near C. Mattapan, another S of Crete. Returned to Cattaro.
• Early in October 1915. Was on a cruise of which no details are known.
• 30 October 1915. – 13 November 1915. In eastern Mediterranean, sank 11 steamers, also on 5 November HMS Tara, the Egyptian C.G. cruiser Abbas and damaged Noor-El-Bahr, all in Gulf of Sollum. On 8 November submarine was attacked by a French armed trawler.
• Middle of December 1915 to 6 January 1916. In central Mediterranean. Sank 5 S.S. and fired 2 torpedoes at HMS Mimosa.
• 21 February 1916 – 4 March 1916. In Central Mediterranean, sank 3 S.S. and attacked Olympic on two occasions, was engaged by HMS Marguerite on 24 February
• 27 March – 17 April 1916. In Spanish waters, sank about 8 S.S.
• June 1916. On a cruise in this month U-35 put into Carthagena on 21 June. She sank in all 19 steamships, 21 sailing vessels and attacked but did not sink 7 ships including 3 armed British ships. Her sinkings were made in a period of 19 days, mostly in the area of Sardinia, Menorca, Barcelona and the Gulf of Genoa.
• 27 July – 15 August 1916. In a period of 20 days while on a cruise from Cattaro to the Spanish waters of the western Mediterranean, U-35 sank 29 S.S., 24 sailing vessels. Attacked 8 S.S. and a French cruiser, and damaged but did not sink 3 other ships, a tonnage of 91,000 tons being claimed. 14 September – 9 October 1916. In her usual sphere, which may be roughly defined as off the Spanish Mediterranean coast, sank about 19 S.S., 4 sailing vessels, and 3 other vessels. She also attacked 4 S.S. 29/30 December 1916 – 13 January 1917. In central Mediterranean. Sank 4 S.S. on a line between Malta and Straits of Otranto.
• 6 February – 2 March 1917. Sank 7 S.S., 6 sailing vessels in western Mediterranean.
• 30 March to 5/6 May 1917 (approx). Sank 3 steamers, 3 sailing vessels and another merchant ship in the western Mediterranean. Passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on the night 12/13 April, and in the fortnight succeeding sank 24 S.S., 1 sailing vessel in the western approaches to the Straits. After returning to the Mediterranean she sank 1 more S.S. 80,000 tons sinkings were claimed. A professional cinematographer was on board during this cruise, and the films taken were exhibited in Great Britain in 1919.
• 4/5 October – 6 November 1917. Left Cattaro and went through the Straits of Gibraltar about the night 13/14 October. On 15 October was possibly attacked by HMS City of Belfast, and on 16 October by TB95. On re-entering the Mediterranean sank about 4 ships, and on 6 November was attacked by the French submarine Faraday.
• 7/8 December 1917 – 1 January 1918. Left Cattaro and on 15 December was bombed by a seaplane. Passed the Straits of Gibraltar on the night of the 16/17 December. Re-entered the Mediterranean on the night of the 21/22 December. Returned to Cattaro having sunk 5 S.S. and 1 sailing vessel. During the period in which she was west of the Straits she was possibly operating against French ships, carrying foodstuffs, from the west coast of Morocco. A total of 28,000 tons was claimed for this cruise.
• February 1918. U-35 was on a further cruise for which 26,000 tons sinkings were claimed. After this, her famous Commander von Arnauld de la Periere was transferred, and Kptlt. Ernst von Voigt took over the boat.
• A cruise in August and early September 1918 yielded 3 steamers.
• In October 1918 she returned to Kiel by the Sound and on 27 November 1918 was surrendered at Harwich.

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Note: S.S. = Steam Ship; S.V. = Sailing Vessel; Northabout, Muckle Flugga, Fair I. = around Scotland; Sound, Belts, Kattegat = via North of Denmark to/from German Baltic ports; Bight = to/from German North Sea ports; success = sinking of ships

Koerver, Hans Joachim (2009). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-77-0.