Page 158 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

144 JURGEN ROHWER

captured French Curie and 8 new small submarines, che Germans sent, besides che
mentioned vessels, in 1916 8 big U-boats, 6 medium UB-boats and 3 medium UC-
minelavying boats. Together the U-boats sank in che Mediterranean up co January
1917 including the mine successes 541 ships with 1474 452 GRT.
When che unrestricted U-boat war was started on l February 1917, also che
restrictions in che Mediterranean were abolished in che declared war zone, which
left only the coastal areas of neutra! countries and a small way to che eastern Medi-
cerranean for neutra! tra.ffic free. Because now surfaced attacks with guns were used
mostly only against che small fishing and sailing vessels, while bigger merchant ships
were attacked submerged with torpedoes it was necessary co send more of the me-
dium U-boats into che Mediterranean, in 1917 9 UB- and 13 UC-boats entered by
way of Gibraltar, to be followed in 1918 by 3 more UB-boats. The Austrians com-
missioned 7 more small vessels. A big Austrian building program did not progress
too much.
In che 22 monchs of unrestricced warfare che German U-boats in che Mediter-
ranean sank 2 197 028 gross tons, while the Austrian submarines added 108 ships
with 196.102 gross tons. Bue from 1916-1918 also many attacks against warships
were successful: in 1916 U 21 sank on 8 February che French armoured cruiser
Amira/ Charner, on a mine of U 73 sank on 27 Aprii the British battleship Russe/l,
and on a mine of UC 14 on 11 December the Italian battleship Regina Margherita.
In 1917 again on a mine of U 73 on 4January sank che Russian battleship Peresvet,
by a corpedo from U 32 on 11 January the British battleship Cornwallis, and on
the last day of che war the returning UB 50 sank the·British battleship Britannia
off Ca p Trafalgar. In addition German U-boats sank 6 destroyers and 3 submari-
nes, che Austrians 4 destroyers and 2 submarines. The operations of che German
and Austrian U-boats caused also losses. They were small up to 1917: 5 German
and 3 Austrian boats were lost, bue in 1918 9 German and 3 Austrian boacs beca-
me victims of che strengthened Allied ASW operations. In addition 4 German U-
boats recurned west through che Gibraltar Stra ics, l O w ere sent into the Black Sea,
9 were scuttled at the end of che war and 14 delivered to che Allies, like 15 remai-
ning Austrian Boats.

Summary
When we ask fora German naval strategy in che Medicerranean in che First
World War, we cannot find a positive answer. There was no strategy forche Medi-
terranean!
The very superficial arrangements between Germany, Auscria-Hungary and
Italy fora joint operation to disrupt the transports of French colonia! troops from
Algeria co France could not be fulfilled because che Italians wanted co remain at
first neutra!, and che Austrians could under such conditions not send their fleec.
So admiral Souchon, with controversia! orders from Berlin, acted on his own ini-
tiative first in che attack against che Algerian ports, and then with his breakthrough
to the Dardanelles.