SM U-17 (Germany)

Last updated
U-Boote Kiel 1914.jpg
U-17 (second row, second from the right), Kiel Harbour, February 1914
History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg Germany
NameU-17
Ordered10 May 1910
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Cost2,333,000 Goldmark
Yard number11
Laid down1 October 1910
Launched16 April 1912
Commissioned3 November 1912
Stricken27 January 1919
FateStruck 27 January 1919, scrapped at Imperial Dockyard, Kiel. Pressure hull sold to Stinnes, Hamburg on 3 February 1920.
General characteristics
Class and type German Type U 17 submarine
Displacement
  • 564 t (555 long tons) surfaced
  • 691 t (680 long tons) submerged
Length62.35 m (204 ft 7 in)
Beam6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Height7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught3.40 m (11 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × 2 Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 1,400 PS (1,000 kW; 1,400 shp)
  • 2 × AEG electric motors with 1,120 PS (820 kW; 1,100 shp)
  • 550 rpm surfaced
  • 425 rpm submerged
Speed
  • 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph) surfaced
  • 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Boats & landing
craft carried
1 dingi
Complement4 officers, 25 men
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • II Flotilla
  • 1 August 1914 – unknown end
  • Baltic Flotilla
  • unknown start – 10 January 1916
  • Training Flotilla
  • 10 January 1916 – 11 November 1918
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Johannes Feldkirchener [1]
  • 1 August 1914 – 7 March 1915
  • Kptlt. Hans Walther [2]
  • 2 March 1915 – 9 January 1916
Operations: 4 patrols
Victories:
  • 11 merchant ships sunk
    (15,122  GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (4,590  GRT)
  • 2 merchant ships taken as prize
    (4,956  GRT)

SM U-17 [Note 1] was a German submarine during World War I. U-17 sank the first British merchant vessel in the First World War, and also sank another ten ships, damaged one ship and captured two ships, surviving the war without casualty.

Contents

War service

Oberleutnant z.S. Feldkirchener Feldkirchener.jpg
Oberleutnant z.S. Feldkirchener

On 1 August 1914, Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Feldkirchener was given command of U-17. [3] On 20 October, U-17 stopped the 866 ton SS Glitra off the Norwegian coast, and having searched her cargo, ordered the crew to the lifeboats before scuttling the vessel. On 26 October, U-17 torpedoed the French ferry SS Amiral Ganteaume in the Strait of Dover. The vessel made port before sinking, with the loss of 40 lives out of over 2,500 on board. [4]
† - www.uboat.net credits the damage to the French steamer Amiral Ganteaume to U-24.

On 2 March 1915 the command of U-17 passed to Kapitänleutnant Hans Walther. On 12 June 1915, U-17 chased and torpedoed the SS Desabla off the coast of Scotland. The crew escaped on lifeboats while the vessel was scuttled and sunk. Walther's command ended on 9 January 1916 and the next day U-17 joined the Training Flotilla. [3]

Post war

U-17 was decommissioned on 27 January 1919 and sold for scrapping.

Summary of raiding history

DateShip NameNationalityTonnage [Note 2] Fate [5]
20 October 1914 Glitra Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 866Sunk
26 October 1914 Amiral Ganteaume Flag of France.svg  France 4,590Damaged
12 June 1915 Cocos Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 85Sunk
12 June 1915 Desabla Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 6,047Sunk
18 June 1915 Ailsa Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 876Sunk
8 August 1915 Glenravel Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,092Sunk
8 August 1915 Malmland Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 3,676Sunk
10 August 1915 Utopia Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 155Sunk
14 August 1915 Gloria Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 130Sunk
15 August 1915 Götaland Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 3,538Captured as prize
15 August 1915 Marie Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 158Sunk
16 August 1915 Romulus Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 819Sunk
16 August 1915 Tello Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,218Sunk
24 October 1915 Rumina Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1,418Captured as prize

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References

Notes

  1. "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johannes Feldkirchener". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Walther (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  4. "U-Boat warfare at the Atlantic in WW1". German Notes. Archived from the original on 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 February 2014.

Bibliography