Voyage of the Deutschland
The First Merchant Submarine
Published on 1. October 2002
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-1-55750-424-1 (ISBN)
Description
By 1916 the German merchant fleet had been driven from the seas by a British blockade that had cut off Germany from foreign markets and put the nation on the verge of economic collapse. Germany's desperate response was the Deutschland, a merchant U-boat uniquely designed with an exceptionally wide beam to carry cargo. Its brief career as a blockade-runner captured international headlines, and Paul Konig's fast-moving account of its maiden voyage was one of the most popular books of the year when first published in the United States in 1917.
Although an acknowledged piece of German propaganda, the story is nevertheless a thrilling one that has attracted readers for decades. Veteran submariners and landlubbers alike have been fascinated by the author's descriptions of life on board the World War I submarine. Ordered to transport valuable cargo to America and return with equally valuable cargo, the captain intended to make a joke of the blockade. The trip was no ordinary passage, however, and Konig keeps readers on the edge of their seats with his tales of the Deutschland barely managing to evade British ASW on its way to the port of Baltimore, where Konig and his crew were welcomed as heroes. The informative introduction that accompanies this new edition of the work has been written by Dwight R. Messimer, the author of a study of the U-boat's entire career called The Merchant U-Boat and Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I.
Although an acknowledged piece of German propaganda, the story is nevertheless a thrilling one that has attracted readers for decades. Veteran submariners and landlubbers alike have been fascinated by the author's descriptions of life on board the World War I submarine. Ordered to transport valuable cargo to America and return with equally valuable cargo, the captain intended to make a joke of the blockade. The trip was no ordinary passage, however, and Konig keeps readers on the edge of their seats with his tales of the Deutschland barely managing to evade British ASW on its way to the port of Baltimore, where Konig and his crew were welcomed as heroes. The informative introduction that accompanies this new edition of the work has been written by Dwight R. Messimer, the author of a study of the U-boat's entire career called The Merchant U-Boat and Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Annopolis
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
28 photos
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
498 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-55750-424-1 (9781557504241)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
<strong>Paul König</strong> (1867 - 1933) was a sailor and business executive. He is most known for two visits he made to the United States in 1916 as captain of a merchant submarine.
In 1916, König became commanding officer of the merchant submarine <em>Deutschland</em>. He took it on two patrols to the United States for commercial purposes. He arrived at Baltimore on July 10, 1916, with a cargo of dyestuffs. While in the United States he was interviewed by newspapermen, was even the recipient of vaudeville offers, was welcomed by mayor of Baltimore and officials. On August 2 he sailed on the return voyage, later making a second voyage and putting in at New London, Connecticut.
He received the Iron Cross 1st class the same year. Following his return after the second journey, König wrote <em>Voyage of the Deutschland</em>, which was heavily publicized, as it was intended to be used as propaganda.
In 1916, König became commanding officer of the merchant submarine <em>Deutschland</em>. He took it on two patrols to the United States for commercial purposes. He arrived at Baltimore on July 10, 1916, with a cargo of dyestuffs. While in the United States he was interviewed by newspapermen, was even the recipient of vaudeville offers, was welcomed by mayor of Baltimore and officials. On August 2 he sailed on the return voyage, later making a second voyage and putting in at New London, Connecticut.
He received the Iron Cross 1st class the same year. Following his return after the second journey, König wrote <em>Voyage of the Deutschland</em>, which was heavily publicized, as it was intended to be used as propaganda.