SM U-40

Unterseeboot 40 (also known as U-40) was a Type U 31 U-boat of the Kaiserliche Marine.

Her construction was ordered on June 12 1912 and her keel was laid down on April 3 1913 by Germaniawerft of Kiel. She was launched on October 22 1914 and commissioned on February 14 1914 under the command of Gerhardt Fürbringer. Second officer was lieutenant Rudolf Jauch (of the "Jauch family").

U-40 conducted 1 patrol, without sinking a ship. The sinking of U-40 occurred on June 23 and was the first victory of a Q-ship, HMS C24, commanded by Lieutenant Frederick Henry Taylor CBE DSC RN, cooperating with the decoy vessel "Taranaki".

Fate

On June 23 1915 near Aberdeen, 50 miles off Girdle Ness in the North Sea (57° 00' n. Br., 1° 50' w. L.). The tactic was to use a decoy trawler, the "Taranaki", to tow the submarine HMS C24. Then when U-40 was sighted, the tow line and communication line were slipped and the submarine successfully attacked the U-boat. U-40 sunk, 29 dead.

References

* [http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=40 webpage for "U-40"]
* [http://www.gwpda.org/naval/rnqships.htm SM U 40 - first success of a Royal Navy 'Q' Ship]
* [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=MED1412 Distinguished Service Cross of lieutenant Frederick Henry Taylor] , awarded for the sinking SM U 40 in the collection of the National Maritime Museum