Unterseeboot 28 (1913)

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Career (German Empire)

Name:	U-28
Ordered:	19 February 1912
Builder:	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig
Launched:	30 August 1913
Commissioned:	26 June 1914
Fate:	Sunk 2 September 1917. 39 dead.
General characteristics
Type:	U 27

Service record
Part of	Kaiserliche Marine
Commanders	Georg-Günther Freiherr von Forstner Otto Rohrbeck Freiherr von Loe-Degenhart Georg Schmidt
Operations	5 patrols
Victories	39 ships sunk for a total of 93.782 tons.

Unterseeboot 28 (also known as U-28) was a Type U 27 U-boat, commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine on June 26, 1914 with Georg-Günther Freiherr von Forstner in command. Frhr. v. Forstner was relieved on 15 June 1916, by Otto Rohrbeck who was in turn relieved on 5 August by Freiherr von Loe-Degenhart. On 15 January 1917, Georg Schmidt took command.

U-28 conducted four patrols, sinking 39 ships totalling 93,782 tons. Der Krieg zur See: Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten, the official history of the U-boats of World War I, describes U-28's final patrol thusly:

On 19 August 1917 U-28 left Emden for the war on shipping in the Arctic Sea. Officially confirmed newspaper reports state that, on 2 September) at 1155 a.m., 85 miles NbE½E (north by east, a half east -- 16.875°) from North Cape, in position 72°34′N, 27°56′E, the U-boat attacked the armed English steamer (SS) Olive Branch, 4649 t., carrying munitions from England for Arkhangelsk. Since the steamer was not sunk by a torpedo hit, U-28 came to close range to finish her with gunfire. The second shell hit the cargo of munitions, which detonated with an enormous explosion, whereby the U-boat was so badly damaged that it sank. Some men of the crew of U-28 were seen swimming, but were not picked up by the Olive Branch's lifeboats. No survivors.

Parenthetical comments added. All hands lost meant 39 dead.

A British description of the same event, Under the Black Ensign by R.S. Gwatkin-Williams, states that when the ammunition detonated, a truck carried as deck cargo was blown into the air and fell from a great height on the U-boat, sinking it. While it is not impossible that a doomed but heroic lorry wreaked vengeance for King and Country, the blast from the explosion probably laid the submarine over far enough to swamp her open hatches.

Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a title, translated as Baron, not a first or middle name. The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

[edit] Alleged Sea Monster Sighting

On 30 July 1915 the German U-28 sunk a British Steamer, the Iberian. The Boat sunk rapidly into the water. The wreckage remained under the water for about 25 seconds until an explosion sent some of the debris flying up. Along with the debris was a creature described as being some 20 metres (60 feet) long. The creature was described as looking like a crocodile. It had four limbs resembling webbed feet and a long tail. It was spotted by the captain and six other officers.^[1]