Engineering:German Type UE II submarine

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Short description: Class of German mine laying submarines
SM U-117 at Cape Charles
Class overview
Builders:
  • AG Vulkan, Hamburg
  • Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Operators:
Subclasses: U-122
Built: 1917–1918
In commission: 1917–1918
Completed: 10
Lost: 4
Scrapped: 6
General characteristics
Type: Ocean-going mine-laying submarine
Displacement: 1,164 t (1,146 long tons) surfaced; 1,512 t (1,488 long tons) submerged
Length: 81.52 or 82 m (267 ft 5 in or 269 ft 0 in)
Beam: 7.42 m (24 ft 4 in)
Draft: 4.22 m (13 ft 10 in)
Installed power:
  • Diesel engines 2,400 PS (1,765 kW; 2,367 shp)
  • Electric motors 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp)
Propulsion: 2 shafts; 2 diesel engines, 2 electric motors
Speed:
  • 14.7 knots (27.2 km/h; 16.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 11,470 and 13,900 nmi (21,240 and 25,740 km; 13,200 and 16,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 35 nmi (65 km; 40 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged
Test depth: 75 m (246 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 36 enlisted men
Sensors and
processing systems:		 2 periscopes
Armament:
  • 4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes, 14 torpedoes
  • 2 × 100 cm (39.4 in) minelaying tubes, 42 mines
  • 1 × 15-centimeter (5.9 in) SK L/45 deck gun
  • or 2 × 10.5-centimeter (4.1 in) SK L/45 (SM U 123)

The Type UE II submarines were a class of submarines built by the German Empire during World War I as long-range mine-layers.

UE II boats carried 14 torpedoes and were armed with one 150 mm deck gun. They carried a crew of 40 and had a cruising range of about 9,400 miles. Nine were built between 1917 and 1918.[1]

The UE IIs joined the conflict in the middle of 1917, at a time when the tide of the war was turning against Germany. In the months beforehand, the United States Navy was added to the ranks of their enemies; and the convoy system was introduced, making it difficult to engage enemy merchant shipping without being spotted by destroyer escorts.[2] Because they entered service late in the war, the UE IIs only sank 23 ships and damaged 4 others before the end of hostilities. SM U-117 was by far the most successful U-boat, taking credit for 20 ships sunk out of the total of 23 for the entire type.[3] The UE II's were the last of the UE class U-boats built by the German Imperial Navy; the last of the class, U-126, was commissioned on 3 October 1918, a little over a month before the armistice at Compiègne.[4]

Post-war years

Following the end of the war, all of the Type UE II submarines were handed over to the allies as part of the Treaty of Versailles. SM U-117 was handed over to the United States where she remained in the Philadelphia Navy Yard along with other U-boats. In June 1921 she was taken out to sea and sunk as a target for aerial bombing tests conducted by the Navy and Army.[3] SM U-118 was turned over to France but broke her tow and was washed ashore at Hastings in Sussex where she remained until being finally broken up in December 1919.[5] SM U-119 was surrendered to France in November 1918. She was renamed the René Audry and saw service in the French Navy and was eventually broken up in October 1937.[6] SM U-120 was transferred to Italy in November 1918. She was broken up soon after in April 1919.[7] SM U-122 was surrendered to England on 26 November 1918. She later ran aground on the English east coast while on her journey to Scapa Flow.[8] Like SM U-122, SM U-123 also ran aground on the English coast where she was broken up.[9] SM U-124 was surrendered in December 1918 and was later broken up in Swansea in 1921.[10] SM U-125 surrendered to Japan in late November 1918. She served in the Japanese Navy as the O1 in 1920-21. between January and March 1921, U-125 was dismantled at Yokosuka Navy Yard.[11] SM U-126 was handed over to the allies in November 1918 and later broken up at Upnor in 1923.[4]

Ships sunk or damaged by Type UE II submarines

Ships sunk or damaged by Type UE II submarines[12][13][14]
Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate U-boat credited with loss
10 August 1918 Aleda May  United States 31 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Cruiser  United States 28 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Earl & Nettie  United States 24 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Katie L. Palmer  United States 31 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Mary E. Sennett  United States 26 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Progress  United States 34 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 Reliance  United States 19 Sunk U-117
10 August 1918 William H. Starbuck  United States 53 Sunk U-117
12 August 1918 Sommerstad  Norway 3,875 Sunk U-117
13 August 1918 Frederic R. Kellogg  United States 7,127 Damaged U-117
14 August 1918 Dorothy B. Barrett  United States 2,088 Sunk U-117
15 August 1918 Madrugada  United States 1,613 Sunk U-117
16 August 1918 Mirlo  United Kingdom 6,978 Sunk U-117
17 August 1918 Nordhav  Norway 2,846 Sunk U-117
20 August 1918 Ansaldo III  Kingdom of Italy 5,310 Damaged U-117
24 August 1918 Bianca  United Kingdom 408 Damaged U-117
26 August 1918 Rush  United States 145 Sunk U-117
27 August 1918 Bergsdalen  Norway 2,555 Sunk U-117
30 August 1918 Elsie Porter  United Kingdom 136 Sunk U-117
30 August 1918 Potentate  United Kingdom 136 Sunk U-117
16 September 1918 Wellington  United Kingdom 5,600 Sunk U-118
29 September 1918 USS Minnesota  United States Navy 18,000 Damaged U-117
2 October 1918 Arca  United Kingdom 4,839 Sunk U-118
4 October 1918 San Saba  United States 2,458 Sunk U-117
18 October 1918 Njordur  Iceland 278 Sunk U-122
27 October 1918 Chaparra  Cuba 1,510 Sunk U-117
9 November 1918 Saetia  United States 2,873 Sunk U-117

Ships in class

There were 9 Type UE II submarines commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine.



One submarine was not completed before the armistice.



Notes

  1. ↑ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

References

  1. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat Types: Type UE 2". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/types/?type=U+UE+2. 
  2. ↑ Goebel, Greg (Dec 24, 2008). "The First Battle of the Atlantic". Vectorsite.net. http://www.vectorsite.net/twsub2.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 117". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=117. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 126". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=126. 
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 118". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=118. 
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 119". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=119. 
  7. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 120". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=120. 
  8. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 122". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=122. 
  9. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 123". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=123. 
  10. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U-124". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=124. 
  11. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U-125". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=125. 
  12. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 117". http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/successes/u117.html. 
  13. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 118". http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/successes/u118.html. 
  14. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by Ships hit by U-122". http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/successes/u122.html. 

Bibliography

  • Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5. 
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. 2. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4. 



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