She had a single hull and was just over 121 feet (37m) in length. She displaced nearly 265 metric tons (261 long tons) when surfaced and over 300 metric tons (295 long tons) when submerged. Her two diesel engines moved her at up to 9 knots (17km/h; 10mph) on the surface, while her twin electric motors propelled her at up to 7.5 knots (13.9km/h; 8.6mph) while underwater. She was armed with two bow torpedo tubes and could carry a load of up to four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75mm (3.0in)deck gun and a machine gun.
During her service career, U-40 sank three ships and damaged three others, sending a combined tonnage of 9,838 to the bottom. U-40 was at Fiume at war's end and was surrendered at Venice in March 1919. She was granted to Italy as a war reparation and broken up the following year.
After these steps alleviated their most urgent needs,[4] the Austro-Hungarian Navy selected the German Type UB II design for its newest submarines in mid 1915.[6] The Germans were reluctant to allocate any of their wartime resources to Austro-Hungarian construction, but were willing to sell plans for up to six of the UB II boats to be constructed under license in Austria-Hungary.[6] The Navy agreed to the proposal and purchased the plans from AG Weser of Bremen.[7]
U-40 displaced 264 metric tons (260 long tons) surfaced and 301 metric tons (296 long tons) submerged.[2] She had a single hull with saddle tanks,[8] and was 121feet 1inch (36.91m) long with a beam of 14feet 4inches (4.37m) and a draft of 12feet 2inches (3.71m).[2] For propulsion, she had two shafts, twin diesel engines of 270bhp (200kW) for surface running, and twin electric motors of 280shp (210kW) for submerged travel. She was capable of 9 knots (16.7km/h) while surfaced and 7.5 knots (13.9km/h) while submerged.[2] Although there is no specific notation of a range for U-40 in Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921, the German UB II boats, upon which the U-27 class was based, had a range of over 6,000 nautical miles (11,000km) at 5 knots (9.3km/h) surfaced, and 45 nautical miles (83km) at 4 knots (7.4km/h) submerged.[8]U-27-class boats were designed for a crew of 23–24.[2]
U-40 was armed with two 45cm (17.7in) bow torpedo tubes and could carry a complement of four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75mm/26 (3.0in) deck gun and an 8mm (0.31in)machine gun.[2]
U-40 underwent diving trials on 3 July 1917, reaching a depth of 50 metres (160ft).[1] One month later, on 4 August, the SM U-40 was commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Johann Krsnjavi.[3] Previously in command of U-11, Krsnjavi was a 30-year-old native of Đakovo (the present-day Đakovo in Croatia).[9]
U-40 departed on her first patrol on 5 August, sailing through the Brioni islands. Two days out, the submarine came under attack by two aircraft. Bombs from the two planes damaged one of U-40's fuel tanks but the U-boat was able to continue to her Mediterranean patrol area. There, east of Malta, she unsuccessfully attacked a steamer on the 15th. Four days later—a little more than two weeks after the U-boat's commissioning—Krsnjavi and U-40 achieved their first kills. Gartness, a British steamer of 2,422gross register tons(GRT), was transporting manganese ore, lead, and arsenic from Ergasteria for Middlesbrough when torpedoed by U-40 some 140 nautical miles (260km) southeast of Malta.[10] The ship's master and twelve other crewmen were killed in the attack.[11]
Ten days later, after a rendezvous with sister boatU-32 in the Ionian Sea,[1]U-40 damaged the collierClifftower in a torpedo attack. Clifftower, carrying a load of coal from Newcastle, suffered no casualties in the attack.[12] After successfully passing through the Otranto Barrage on 31 August, U-40 concluded her first patrol when she docked at Cattaro on 3 September.[1] On 15 October, U-40 set out from Cattaro on her next patrol. She spent two days, 16 to 18 October, patrolling off Durazzo. Departing there, she headed for her assigned patrol area off Port Said. On 20 October, two aircraft from Corfu forced Krsnjavi to make an emergency dive, but the U-boat escaped damage. On 25 October, U-40 encountered a severe storm that damager one of her fuel tanks. Three days later, Krsnjavi ordered the boat back to port when the gyrocompass broke. The boat made Cattaro on 1 November and underwent repairs there over the next five weeks.[1]
Departing from Cattaro on her third patrol on 10 December, Krsnjavi steered the boat to her patrol area: cruising the Mediterranean between Alexandria and Malta.[1] The first day of the new year brought U-40's next success. On 1 January 1918, the 5,134GRTSandon Hall, a British steamer headed from Basra to London with a cargo of linseed oil and dates, was sent to the bottom 22 nautical miles (41km)north-northeast of Linosa.[13] A torpedo attack two days later on another steamer produced no result. Having exhausted her supply of torpedoes, U-40 headed back to port. On 6 January, the U-boat's deck gun was used to destroy a floating mine. The following day the boat was fired upon by three drifters of the Otranto Barrage but safely returned to Cattaro on 8 January.[1]
After two month at Cattaro, Krsnjavi lead U-40 out on her fourth patrol on 5 March. The U-boat came under attack on consecutive days while headed into the Mediterranean. On 9 March, two destroyers forced her to crash dive, while the following day a pair of aircraft did the same. Nine days later, U-40 torpedoed the Canadian steamer Lord Ormonde, but only damaged the 3,914 GRT ship.[14] On 20 March, U-40 sent the Greek cargo ship Antonios M. Theophilatos and her load of ammunition to the bottom.[1][Note 4]U-40 launched a torpedo attack and damaged a British steamer Demodocus in a convoy on 23 March.[15]U-40 ended her patrol on 2 April at Cattaro.[1] Gibson and Prendergast report on the claim of the Italian torpedo boatArdea that she had depth charged and sunk U-40 in the Adriatic on 26 April. As Gibson and Prendergast note, U-40 did not sink that day, discrediting the report.[16]U-40 did depart from Cattaro for Pola at the end of May to undergo repairs for the next two months.[1]
U-40 departed from Pola on 5 August, but developed a leak a few days out and put in at Cattaro on 10 August. The U-boat returned to Pola about two weeks later and remained there until October.[1] While at Pola, command of U-40 passed to Linienschiffsleutnant Wladimir Pfeifer on 19 September. The 27-year-old native of Leskovec (in present-day Slovenia), was previously in command of U-17 and had, like Krsnjavi, also served a stint as commander of U-11.[17] On 19 October, U-40 departed Pola and eventually arrived at Fiume, where she remained through the end of the war.[1] The U-boat was taken to Venice on 23 March 1919,[1] where she was surrendered to the Italians as a war reparation.[2] She was scrapped at Venice the following year.[2] In her 15-month service career, U-40 sank three ships with a combined tonnage of 9,838, and damaged three others.
↑ By this time, the CNT shipyards at Monfalcone had been overrun by the Italian Army. See: Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 17 January 2008.
1 2 Uboat.net attributes the sinking of Antonios M. Theophilatos to the German U-boat U-33, which was operating in the same area. See: Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Antonios M. Theophilatos". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
Related Research Articles
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SM U-15 or U-XV was a U-10-class submarine or U-boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I. U-15 was constructed in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled and launched in April 1915. She was commissioned in October 1915. U-15 was the most successful boat of the U-10 class, sinking six ships totaling 8,044 gross register tons (GRT) and 745 tons. The boat survived the war and was handed over to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.
SM U-17 or U-XVII was a U-10-class submarine or U-boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I. U-17 was laid down in Germany in April 1915 and shipped in sections by rail to Pola in August, where she was assembled. She was delivered to the Austro-Hungarian Navy at the end of September and commissioned in October 1915.
SM U-21 or U-XXI was a U-20-class submarine or U-boat built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the First World War. The design for U-21 was based on submarines of the Royal Danish Navy's Havmanden class, and was largely obsolete by the beginning of the war.
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SM U-67 was a Type U 66 submarine or U-boat for the German Imperial Navy during the First World War. She had been laid down in November 1913 as U-8 the second boat of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her class, in November 1914.
SM U-27 or U-XXVII was the lead boat of the U-27 class of U-boats or submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-27 was built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard and launched on 19 October 1916. She was commissioned on 24 February 1917.
SM U-28 or U-XXVIII was a U-27-class U-boat or submarine for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-28, built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard, was launched in January 1917 and commissioned in June.
SM U-41 or U-XLI was a U-27 class U-boat or submarine for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-41, built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard, was launched in November 1917. When she was commissioned in February 1918, she became the last boat of her class to enter service. She was also the last domestically constructed Austro-Hungarian U-boat to enter service.
SM U-29 or U-XXIX was a U-27 class U-boat or submarine for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-29, built by the Hungarian firm of Ganz Danubius at Fiume, was launched in October 1916 and commissioned in January 1917.
SM U-30 or U-XXX was a U-27 class U-boat or submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-30, built by the Hungarian firm of Ganz Danubius at Fiume, was launched in December 1916 and commissioned in February 1917.
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SM UB-47 was a Type UB II submarine or U-boat for the German Imperial Navy during World War I. UB-47 was sold to the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the war. In Austro-Hungarian service the B was dropped from her name and she was known as SM U-47 or U-XLVII as a member of the Austro-Hungarian U-43 class.
SM UB-43 was a Type UB II submarine or U-boat for the German Imperial Navy during World War I. UB-43 was sold to the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the war. In Austro-Hungarian service the B was dropped from her name and she was known as SM U-43 or U-XLIII as the lead boat of the Austro-Hungarian U-43 class.
1 2 3 4 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: KUK U40". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johann Krsnjavi". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Gartness". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Clifftower". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Sandon Hall". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Demodocus". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by KUK U40". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
Bibliography
Baumgartner, Lothar; Erwin Sieche (1999). Die Schiffe der k.(u.)k. Kriegsmarine im Bild = Austro-Hungarian warships in photographs (in German). Wien: Verlagsbuchhandlung Stöhr. ISBN978-3-901208-25-6. OCLC43596931.
Gibson, R. H.; Prendergast, Maurice (2003) [1931]. The German Submarine War, 1914–1918. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-59114-314-7. OCLC52924732.
Halpern, Paul G. (1994). A Naval History of World War I. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-0-87021-266-6. OCLC28411665.
Tennent, A. J. (2006) [1990]. British Merchant Ships Sunk by U boats in the 1914–1918 War. Penzance: Periscope Publishing. ISBN1-904381-36-7.
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