Engineering:Type U 5 submarine

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Short description: German pre-World War I submarine class

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Type U 5 was a class of four gasoline-powered U-boats built between 1908 and 1911 which served in the Imperial German Navy during World War I. The class was the earliest U-boat type to see active service during the war.[lower-alpha 1] All four of the boats were lost within 14 months of war breaking out.

Design

Type U 5s had an overall length of 57.30 m (188 ft 0 in) The boats' beam was 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in), the draught was 3.55 m (11 ft 8 in). The boats displaced 505 tonnes (497 long tons) when surfaced and 636 t (626 long tons) when submerged.[1][2]

Type U 5s were fitted with two Körting 6-cylinder and two 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 900 metric horsepower (662 kW; 888 bhp) for use on the surface and two SSW double-acting electric motors with a total of 760 kW (1,033 PS; 1,019 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph), and 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h; 11.7 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) on the surface and 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[1][2] Constructional diving depth[lower-alpha 2] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).[3][2]

The U-boats were armed with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 24 enlisted men.[4][2]

Type U 5 U-boats were the first U-boats to be equipped with a radiotelegraphy station. This station had a range of 30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) between U-boats and double that distance towards shore stations. Two aerial masts were installed on the deck, which could be lowered from inside the boat. A crude underwater telegraph consisting of a bell with a clapper activated by compressed air, was also introduced with the Type U 5s, but this system was not deemed satisfactory.[5]

List of Type U 5 boats

All four boats of the class were built at Germaniawerft in Kiel starting in 1908. They were commissioned between July 1910 and June 1911.

Name Launched[6] Commissioned[6] Ships sunk (GRT)[6] Fate[1]
Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. 8 January 1910 2 July 1910 None Lost around 18 December 1914 in the English Channel.
Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. 18 May 1910 12 August 1910 16 (9,614)[lower-alpha 3] Sunk by Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. on 15 September 1915 off Stavanger.
Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. 28 July 1910 18 July 1911 None Sunk accidentally by Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. on 21 January 1915 off the north coast of the Netherlands.
Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. 14 March 1911 18 June 1911 5 (15,049) Scuttled on 4 March 1915 in the English Channel after becoming caught in anti-submarine nets.

Notes

  1. Earlier classes of boat saw service only as training boats during the war.
  2. Constructional diving depth had a safety factor of 2.5, which meant that crushing depth was 2.5 times construction diving depth.[3]
  3. U-6 also took three ships totalling 2,337 GRT as prizes.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Möller & Brack 2004, p. 19.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gröner 1991, pp. 4–6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Rössler 1981, p. 26.
  4. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 219.
  5. Rössler 1981, p. 27.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Herzog 1993, p. 67.

Bibliography

  • 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. 
  • Herzog, Bodo (1993) (in de). Deutsche U-Boote : 1906 - 1966. Erlangen: Müller. ISBN 9783860700365. 
  • Möller, Eberhard; Brack, Werner (2004). The Encyclopedia of U-Boats. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-85367-623-3. 
  • Rössler, Eberhard (1981). The U-boat: The evolution and technical history of German submarines. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-36120-8. 

Template:U-5 class submarines