The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 1: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922

b. German Figures Relating to the Sinkings of Allied and Neutral Merchantmen by Submarines and by Regional Commands

b. German Figures Relating to the Sinkings of Allied and Neutral Merchantmen by Submarines and by Regional Commands Total Shipping Losses to U-boats Sinkings of High Sea Fleet Flanders Ships GRT Ships GRT Ships GRT 1914 sinking in year 3: 2,950 3: 2,950 - as % of annual sinkings 100.00 100.00 - as % of overall sinkings 0.02 0.02 - 1915 sinking in year 636: 1,191,704 390: 700,782 131: 90,925 as % of annual sinkings - - 61.32 58.81 20.60 7.63 as % of overall sinkings 9.70 - 5.70 - 0.74 1916 sinking in year 1,309: 2,186,462 350: 508,745 512: 604,151 as % of annual sinkings - - 26.74 23.27 39.11 27.63 as % of overall sinkings - 17.80 - 4.14 - 4.92 1917 sinking in year ? 6,149,070 ? 2,895,983 ? 1,607,389 as % of annual sinkings ? - ? 47.10 ? 26.14 as % of overall sinkings ? 50.06 ? 23.57 ? 13.08 1918 sinking in year 1,305: 2,754,152 435: 1,044,822 327: 558,760 as % of annual sinkings - - 33.33 37.94 25.06 20.29 as % of overall sinkings - 22.42 - 8.51 - 4.55 Total sinkings by tonnage ? 12,284,338 ? 5,153,383 ? 2,860,595 as % of overall sinkings ? 41.95 ? 23.29 Merchantmen by Submarines as per Regional Flotillas Mediterranean Black Sea Baltic U-cruisers Ships GRT Ships GRT Ships GRT Ships GRT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 102 : 350,853 9: 44,520 4: 5,254 - 16 .04 29.44 1.42 3.74 0.63 0.44 - - - 2.86 - 0.36 - 0.04 - 415 : 1,045,058 11: 20,777 21: 7,731 - 31 .70 47.80 0.84 0.95 1.60 0.35 - - - 8.51 - 0.17 - 0.06 - - ? 1,514,050 ? 18,966 ? 13,510 ? 98,721 ? 24.62 ? 0.31 ? 0.22 ? 1.61 ? 12.32 ? 0.15 ? 0.11 ? 0.80 325: 761,060 57: 32,830 - - 161: 356,680 24.90 27.63 4.37 1.19 - - 12.34 12.95 - 6.20 - 0.27 - - - 2.90 ? 3,671,021 ? 117,093 ? 26,495 ? 455,401 ? 29.88 ? 0.95 ? 0.22 ? 3.71 appendix 9.2 265 NOTES TO TABLE A: British losses do not include fishing vessels sunk by enemy action. These losses were as follows: in 1914 45 vessels of 6,993 tons, in 1915 192 vessels of 24,130 tons, in 1916 141 vessels of 13,902 tons, in 1917 213 vessels of 21,774, tons, and in 1918 84 vessels of 4,996 tons: of the 675 vessels of 71,765 tons thus listed, warships accounted for 34 vessels of 5,637 tons, mines for 63 vessels of 8,545 tons, and submarines 578 vessels of 57,583 tons. The percentage figures listed under “annual losses” represent the share of the agencies of destruction in that given year; the percentage figures listed under “overall losses” represent the share of the agencies of destruction in that year regarding all wartime losses; the percentage figures listed under “Total Losses” represent the overall share of the agencies of destruction regarding all wartime losses. Perhaps wrongly, the October 1918 rate, 1918 annual rate, and overall rate of exchange are calculated on the basis of inclusion in German losses of the thirteen boats scuttled with the evacuation of bases in Belgium and on the Adriatic. The various German boats surrendered in neutral ports after 11 November 1918 have not been included within the November 1918, 1918, and overall totals and exchange rates. NOTES TO TABLE B: These are German figures that represent the total amount of shipping, that is, British, Allied, and neutral shipping, claimed to have been sunk by German submarines by all means, including mines. The source states that these figures do not include sinkings by Austro-Hungarian submarines in 1917 and 1918 (a total of 171,154 tons of merchant shipping in the Mediterranean), which would seem to suggest that the sinkings by Austro-Hungarian submarines before 1917 are included within the German totals. The figures for 1915 are wrong with all figures being reconciled but the overall total for the year, which is 630 tons adrift. A certain care needs be exercised with respect to these figures, in part because one set is British and the other German and it is far from clear if they can be...