HMS H6

	HNLMS O 8
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS H6
Builder	Canadian Vickers, Montreal
Laid down	1914
Launched	12 May 1915
Commissioned	10 June 1915
Fate	Sold to the Netherlands on 4 May 1917
Netherlands
Name	HNLMS O 8
Acquired	4 May 1917
Commissioned	7 May 1917
Fate	Scuttled by Dutch forces following German invasion of the Netherlands during Second World War. Later refloated by Germany on 14 May 1940
Nazi Germany
Name	UD-1
Commissioned	21 November 1940
Decommissioned	23 November 1943
Fate	Scuttled in Kiel Harbour following Allied advance on 3 May 1945
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type	H-class submarine
Displacement	364 long tons (370 t) surfaced; 434 long tons (441 t) submerged;
Length	150 ft 3 in (45.80 m)
Beam	15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Propulsion	1 × 480 hp (358 kW) diesel engine; 2 × 620 hp (462 kW) electric motors;
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced; 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged;
Range	1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 130 nautical miles (240 km; 150 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged;
Complement	22
Armament	4 × 18-inch (450mm) bow torpedo tubes; 8 × 18 inch torpedoes;
Service record as UD-1
Part of:	1st U-boat Flotilla; November 1940 – April 1941; 3rd U-boat Flotilla; May – August 1941; 5th U-boat Flotilla; August – December 1941; U-boat Defense School; December 1941 – July 1943; 5th U-boat Flotilla; July – November 1943;
Identification codes:	M 28 540
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Hermann Rigele; 21 November 1940 – 3 May 1941; Kptlt. Friedrich Schäfer; 4 May – 2 November 1941; Franz Venier ; 3 November 1941 – 14 December 1942; Kptlt. Wolfgang Ketelsen; 15 December 1942 – 17 May 1943; Oblt.z.S. Friedrich Weidner; 18 May – 28 November 1943;
Operations:	None
Victories:	None

HMS H6 was a British H-class submarine of the Royal Navy built by Canadian Vickers & Co. during World War I.

History

She was completed on 10 June 1915 and was commissioned by the Royal Navy the same year. However, her service in the Royal Navy was short. On 19 January 1916, she ran aground near the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, after which she was interned by the Royal Netherlands Navy.^[9] On 4 May 1917, an agreement was reached to sell H6 to the Netherlands.

Dutch service

The Royal Netherlands Navy renamed H6 to HNLMS O 8 and refitted her, with knowledge gained from the interned German submarine UC-8. After UC-8 was bought from Germany O 8 was equipped with UC-8's Zeiss periscope. During maintenance in October 1921, O 8 partly sank in the harbour at Den Helder.^[2] Because only minor damage was sustained, she was repaired and continued in service. In the summer of 1925, O 8 together with the other Dutch vessels HNLMS K XI, HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck, HNLMS Marten Harpertszoon Tromp, HNLMS Z 3 and HNLMS Z 5 were part of an exercise in the Baltic Sea.

During the German attack on the Netherlands at the start of the Second World War, O 8 was still in Dutch service. At the time she was undergoing maintenance and as a result could not escape during the invasion.^[10] Instead it was decided to scuttle her.^[11]

German service

After the surrender of the Netherlands, the German forces were able raise O 8 and found her almost fully intact.^[12]

Germany took O 8 into service as UD-1 and transferred her from Den Helder to Kiel. In Kiel, she was used as training ship to train crews for the German U-boats. Because of her age, she was decommissioned on 23 November 1943. On 3 May 1945, she was scuttled again in the harbour at Kiel.^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Helgason, Guðmundur. "Foreign U-boats UD-1". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b Jalhay (1982), p. 107.
^ von Münching (1978), p. 33.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hermann Rigele". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Schäfer". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Franz Venier". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Wolfgang Ketelsen". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Weidner". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
^ "Indringers" (PDF). Klaar Voor Onderwater (in Dutch). No. 26. Den Helder: Onderzeedienst Reünistenvereniging. March 1989. pp. 6–8.
^ de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 95.
^ Jalhay (1982), p. 29.
^ Bezemer, K.W.L.; Zij vochten op de zeven zeeën; Uitgeversmaatschappij W. de Haan N.V.; 1954
^ Dutchsubmarines.com O 8

Bibliography

Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Jalhay, P.C.; Wijn, J.J.A. (1997). Ik nader ongezien! De onderzeeboten van de Koninklijke Marine. Amsterdam: De Bataafsche Leeuw. ISBN 9067074624.
von Münching, L.L. (1978). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-903-8.
de Bles, Harry; Boven, Graddy; Homburg, Leon (2006). Onderzeeboten! (in Dutch). Zaltbommel: Aprilis. ISBN 978-90-5994-130-4.
Jalhay, P.C. (1982). Nederlandse Onderzeedienst 75 jaar (in Dutch). Bussum: De Boer Maritiem. ISBN 90-228-1864-0.