SM U-74

Last updated

History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameU-74
Ordered6 January 1915
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number30
Launched10 August 1915
Commissioned24 November 1915
Fate17 May 1916 - Sank in a mine handling accident 3.5 nmi (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) off Dunbar, Scotland. 34 dead (all hands lost). [1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type Type UE I submarine
Displacement
  • 745  t (733 long tons) surfaced
  • 829 t (816 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in) (o/a)
  • 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in) (pressure hull)
Height8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught4.84 m (15 ft 11 in)
Installed power
  • 2 × 800  PS (588  kW; 789  shp) surfaced
  • 2 × 800 PS (588 kW; 789 shp) submerged
Propulsion2 shafts, 2× 1.41 m (4 ft 8 in) propellers
Speed
  • 10.6 knots (19.6 km/h; 12.2 mph) surfaced
  • 7.9 knots (14.6 km/h; 9.1 mph) submerged
Range
  • 5,480  nmi (10,150 km; 6,310 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced
  • 83 nmi (154 km; 96 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement4 officers, 28 enlisted
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • I Flotilla
  • 18 March – 17 May 1916
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Erwin Weisbach [3]
  • 24 November 1915 – 17 May 1916
Operations: 2 patrols
Victories: 1 merchant ship sunk
(2,802  GRT) [1]

SM U-74 [Note 1] was a Type UE 1 submarine and one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-74 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Contents

Design

Type UE I submarines were preceded by the longer Type U 66 submarines. U-74 had a displacement of 755 tonnes (743 long tons) when at the surface and 829 tonnes (816 long tons) while submerged. [2] She had a total length of 56.80 m (186 ft 4 in), a pressure hull length of 46.66 m (153 ft 1 in), a beam of 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in), a height of 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in), and a draught of 4.84 m (15 ft 11 in). The submarine was powered by two 800 metric horsepower (590 kW; 790 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 800 metric horsepower (590 kW; 790 shp) engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts. She was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft). [2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 10.6 knots (19.6 km/h; 12.2 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.9 knots (14.6 km/h; 9.1 mph). [2] When submerged, she could operate for 83 nautical miles (154 km; 96 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 5,480 nautical miles (10,150 km; 6,310 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). U-74 was fitted with two 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one at the port bow and one starboard stern), four torpedoes, and one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun. She had a complement of thirty-two (twenty-eight crew members and four officers). [2]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 2] Fate [4]
20 April 1916 Sabbia Government Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,802Sunk

Related Research Articles

SM <i>U-86</i> German submarine during World War I

SM U-86 was a Type U 81 submarine manufactured in the Germaniawerft, Kiel shipyard for the German Empire during World War I.

SM UC-14 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 28 January 1915, and was launched on 13 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 June 1915 as SM UC-14. Mines laid by UC-14 in her 38 patrols were credited with sinking 16 ships, one of which was the Italian pre-dreadnought battleship Regina Margherita, which at 13,427 tonnes displacement was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war. UC-14 was mined and sunk on 3 October 1917.

SM UC-17 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was ordered on 29 August 1915 and launched on 29 February 1916. She was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 21 July 1916 as SM UC-17.

SM UC-20 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 29 August 1915 and was launched on 1 April 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 7 September 1916 as SM UC-20. In 13 patrols UC-20 was credited with sinking 21 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-20 was surrendered on 16 January 1919 and broken up at Preston in 1919–20.

SM UC-37 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 5 June 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 17 October 1916 as SM UC-37. In 13 patrols UC-37 was credited with sinking 66 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-37 was surrendered at Sevastopol on 25 November 1918 and broken up at Bizerta in August 1921.

SM UC-51 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 5 December 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 6 January 1917 as SM UC-51. In seven patrols UC-51 was credited with sinking 28 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-51 was mined and sunk in the English Channel on 17 November 1917.

SM UC-65 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 8 July 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 7 November 1916 as SM UC-65. In eleven patrols UC-65 was credited with sinking 106 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-65 was torpedoed and sunk by HMS C15 on 3 November 1917.

SM UC-70 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 7 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 20 November 1916 as SM UC-70. In ten patrols UC-70 was credited with sinking 33 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. On 28 August 1918, UC-70 was spotted lying submerged on the sea bottom and attacked by a Blackburn Kangaroo patrol aircraft of No. 246 Squadron RAF and then was then sunk by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Ouse. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

SM UC-71 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 12 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 November 1916 as SM UC-71. In 19 patrols UC-71 was credited with sinking 63 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-71 sank on 20 February 1919 in the North Sea while on her way to be surrendered. Discovery a century later of her wreck with all hatches open suggested she had been deliberately scuttled by her own crew.

SM UC-74 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 19 October 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 26 November 1916 as SM UC-74. In ten patrols UC-74 was credited with sinking 37 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-74 was interned at Barcelona on 21 November 1918 when she ran out of fuel. The U-boat was surrendered to France on 26 March 1919 and was broken up at Toulon in July 1921.

SM UC-79 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I.

SM U-82 was a Type U 81 U-boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I.

SM U-72 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-72 was engaged in the commerce war in First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-75 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-75 was engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. On her first mission, U-75 laid the mine that sank the cruiser HMS Hampshire during her voyage to Russia carrying British Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener. The cruiser sank at 59°07′N03°24′W west of the Orkney Islands with nearly total loss of life in a force 9 gale.

SM U-76 was a Type UE 1 submarine and one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-76 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-80 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-80 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-81 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-81 was engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-84 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-84 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-85 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-85 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-119 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-119 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

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. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 74". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gröner 1991, pp. 10–11.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Erwin Weisbach". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 74". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 January 2015.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.