SM U-49

SM U-49 was the seventh U-boat of the U-43 class. She was ordered on 4 August 1914 and was put into the III Flotilla 7 August 1916. In her career she sank 38 ships for a total of. None was a naval ship.

Kapitänleutnant Richard Hartmann commanded U-49 throughout her career until she was sunk on 11 September 1917 in action in the Bay of Biscay. While surfaced, U-49 attacked the merchant ship SS British Transport, which had sailed Brest, France bound for Archangel in Russia, laden with munitions and other explosives. After a gun battle lasting five hours, U-49 fired two torpedoes at British Transport. Both missed, and the merchantman then rammed and sank her at 46.28333°N, -14.7°W; all hands were lost.

It was the first time in the war that a merchant ship had sunk a U-boat. In February 1918 British Transport's Master, Captain AT Pope, was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order,  three of her officers were awarded the DSC, seven of her crewmen were awarded the DSM and three were mentioned in dispatches.