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Battle for Lake Tanganyika

Battle for Lake Tanganyika
Part of the East African Campaign of the First World War
Lake Tanganyika map.png
Lake Tanganyika, contested by Britain, Belgium and Germany.
Date December 1915-July 1916
Location Lake Tanganyika, Africa
Result Allied victory
Belligerents

 British Empire
 Belgium

 German Empire

Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Geoffrey Spicer-Simson German Empire Gustav Zimmer
Strength
British:
2 steamers
3 armed boats
Belgian:
1 steamer
1 armed boat
1 armed barge
1 whaler
4 aircraft
unknown shore batteries
2 steamers
1 ferry
unknown dhows
1 fort
unknown shore batteries
Casualties and losses
British:
No human losses
1 armed boat damaged
Belgian:
1 steamer sunk
~12 killed
2 wounded
32 captured
1 steamer sunk
1 ferry scuttled
1 steamer captured


  • The sunken Belgian steamer Alexandre del Commune was later refloated and assigned to the British flotilla as HMS Vengeur.
  • The German steamer Kingani was captured and assigned to the British flotilla as HMS Fifi.

 British Empire
 Belgium

 German Empire


The Battle for Lake Tanganyika was a series of naval engagements that took place between elements of the Royal Navy, Force Publique and the Kaiserliche Marine between December 1915 and February 1916, during the First World War. The intention was to secure control of the strategically important Lake Tanganyika, which had been dominated by German naval units since the beginning of the war. The British forces—consisting of two motor boats named HMS Mimi and Toutou—were under the command of the eccentric Lieutenant-Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson. The boats were transported to South Africa and from there by railway, by river, and by being dragged through the African jungle, to the lake.


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