During World War One, the deadly role played by German submarines was in two instances played out within sight of Hurst Castle.
A German Class II U-Boat, similar to SM UB-35, in 1916
The perpetrator was known simply as SM UB-35; the nicety of names for their submarines was not for the German Imperial Navy.
On 20 January 1918, while SM UB-35 was patrolling the English Channel off the Isle of Wight, her torpedoes struck the 9,000-ton HMS Mechanician, a Royal Navy escort ship. The vessel sank off the Shingles Bank that runs parallel to the Isle of Wight, its hull disintegrating over the years within the shifting stones.
Just two days later, in the early hours of the morning, the same sub sunk the Norwegian Molina off St Catherine’s Point before turning her attention to the SS Serrana, some 11 miles further west. As the merchant ship buckled under the impact of the torpedoes, her crew and passengers clambered aboard liferafts and most were in turn rescued by other vessels. The Serrana, however, split in two; even today, part of its wreckage is still visible in some 18m of water off the Needles.
The loss of the Serrana proved to be the culmination of a two-year wave of destruction inflicted by SM UB-35 along the Channel; by the end of the week, she had met her own demise. On 26 January, her periscope was spotted by a crew member on board HMS Leven and she was sunk by a depth charge off Calais, at the hands of the Royal Navy.
One of 30 small coastal submarines operated by the German Imperial Navy to feature the improved UBII design, SM UB-35 was launched in December 1915. Twice the size of her UBI predecessors, which have been dubbed “tiny tadpoles”, she and the rest of this new class were also far better armed.
Over 36m (118ft) in length, SM UB-35 had a draught of barely 3.7m and could plunge out of site in just 42 seconds, remaining operational at depths of up to 50m. Even submerged, she could travel 45 nautical miles at up to 4 knots, but above the waves her top speed was over 9 knots, while her range – at 5 knots – escalated to some 7,000 nautical miles. No wonder she could patrol the English Channel with near impunity.
Taking responsibility for the sub’s lethal weapons – two 50cm torpedo tubes, four torpedoes and an 88mm deck gun – were 23 men, including two officers. During her brief lifespan, SM UB-35 operated under four captains, of whom the last – Oberleutnant Karl Stöter – went down with all hands when the submarine itself was sunk.
Her legacy was a chilling reminder of the ravages of war: 42 ships sunk, 2 damaged and 4 captured. Of those 42, 19 were British, with the rest largely sailing under one of the Scandinavian flags. It was a heavy toll.