SM U-18

Last updated
U-Boote Kiel 1914.jpg
SM U-18 (second row, second from the right)
History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg Germany
NameU-18
OrderedMay 6, 1910
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Cost2,333,000 Goldmark
Yard number12
Laid down27 October 1910
Launched25 April 1912
Commissioned17 November 1912
Fate
  • Scuttled - 23 November 1914
  • 1 dead
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 (1,030 kW; 1,380 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  nmi (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 kn surfaced
  • 75 nmi (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 kn submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 dingi
Complement4 officers, 25 men
Armament4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes
Service record
Part of:
  • II Flotilla
  • 1 August – 23 November 1914
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Heinrich von Henning [1]
  • 1 August – 23 November 1914
Operations: 3 patrols
Victories: None

SM U-18 [Note 1] was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-18 engaged in the commerce warfare in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Contents

Service history

Beginning in October 1914, she was commanded by Kaptlt. von Hennig. [2]

On her third mission, on 23 November U-18 penetrated the fleet anchorage of Scapa Flow via Hoxa Sound, following a steamer through the boom and entering the anchorage with little difficulty. However, the fleet was absent, being dispersed in anchorages on the west coast of Scotland and Ireland. As U-18 was making her way back out through Hoxa Sound to the open sea, her periscope was spotted by a guard boat. The trawler Dorothy Gray altered course and rammed the periscope, rendering it unserviceable. U-18 then suffered a failure of her diving plane motor and the boat became unable to maintain her depth, at one point even impacting the seabed. She was rammed a second time by destroyer HMS Garry and eventually, her captain was forced to surface and scuttle his command just outside the Hoxa Gate; all crew members, except one, were picked up by British boats. [3] [4] One crew member perished, while the remaining 22 were interned as prisoners of war. [5]

The wreck lies 75 m (246 ft) below the surface just outside the Hoxa Gate, at 58°41′N02°55′W / 58.683°N 2.917°W / 58.683; -2.917 . [6]

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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.

Citations

  1. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Heinrich von Henning". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918.
  3. ↑ Messimer, Dwight R. (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Naval Institute Press. pp. 36–40. ISBN   9781557504753.
  4. ↑ Koerver.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 18". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
  6. ↑ Willmott, H.P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922. Indiana University Press. p. 376. ISBN   9780253352149.

Bibliography

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