Germans claiming sinking of French battleship Suffren according to the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant dated 12 February 1916

Wilkinson, Norman (1915). The Dardanelles: Colour Sketches from Gallipoli, p. 112.

German U-52

An item dated Berlin, Germany reported that a German submarine torpedoed on 8 Feburary off the Syrian coast south of Beiroet the French battleship Suffren (1) which sunk within 2 minutes.

Note

1. Predreadnought battleship, preceded by Iéna, succeeded by République-class, building ordered on 21 April 1898, laid down at the Arsenal de Brest on 5 January 1899, launched on 25 July 1899, commissioned on 3 February 1904 and by the German submarine SM U-52 on 26 November 1916 off Lisbon, Portugal. So this news item is not correct although it was published in several Dutch newspapers. The Het nieuws van den dag dated 14 February referred to a statement of the French minister of navy dated Paris, France 13 February reporting that she was lying at Toulon, France and not sunk as German telegrams claimed. The Haagsche courant dated 15 February confirmed this latter item but reported the missing of the small French cruiser Amiral Charnier. She was laid don by Arsenal de Rochefort in June 18909, launched on 26 August 1895, commissioned on 26 August 1895 and sunk on 8 February 1916 by the German submarine U-21 underway from Ruad Island, Syria to Port Said, Egypt. Of the Amiral Charner-class armored cruisers, preceded by Dupuy de Lôme, succeeded by Pothua.