WWI U-BOAT COMMANDER'S GROUPING.

A large grouping of paperwork, photographs and documentation belonging to the former Oberleutnant Zur See Helmut Lorenz. He was born October 1889, he joined the Reich Marine. During WWI he was Commander of UC14 from July 1917 to September 1917. Commander of UB10 from the 8th September 1917 to the 16th October 1917. Finally Commander of UC48 from October 1917 to March 1918. During his career on these three submarines there were three ships sunk for a total of 1,757 tons and one ship damaged. The total number of ships sunk by UC48 was 35. All but two of these were under the command of Kurt Ramien. On the 22nd October 1917 under the command of Helmut Lorenz UC48 sunk a Spanish ship and on the 17th November 1917 also under the command of Helmut Lorenz it sank a Norwegian ship. On the 20th March 1918 the UC48 was badly damaged by depth charges from the RMS Loyal, the submarine limped into the Spanish port at El Ferrol, Spain where the submarine and the crew were interned. The Spanish authorities removed the propeller from the submarine to prevent any breakout. Included in the group is the award document for the U-Boat badge dated 12th January 1920 with his original single stamped version of the WWI Submariner's badge. There is a large typed report on the damaging and eventual internment of UC48 in Spain typed at the time of the interment plus the 1919 Reich Marine Headquarters report on the incident. A 1975 signed letter to the still surviving wife of Helmut Lorenz from Karl Donitz and pen signed by Donitz, who was a First World War submarine officer himself and commanded the Submarine Service in WWII and was the last Chancellor of Germany in 1945. Newspaper cuttings from Madrid in 1919. German and French newspapers from WWI. A huge amount of personal and family photographs and other memorabilia relating to his service in the Reich Marine. Lastly a nickel plated cup with engraved plaque to the base 'Herrn Helmut Lorenz Zur Bootsubernahme Von U48'.

Code: 50624