SM U-92

Last updated
History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameU-92
Ordered23 June 1915
Builder Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Yard number36
Laid down20 August 1916
Launched12 May 1917
Commissioned22 October 1917
FateLost in minefield 9 September 1918
General characteristics [1]
Class and type Type U 87 submarine
Displacement
  • 757  t (745 long tons) surfaced
  • 998 t (982 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) (o/a)
  • 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) (pressure hull)
Height9.35 m (30 ft 8 in)
Draught3.88 m (12 ft 9 in)
Installed power
  • 2 × 2,400  PS (1,765  kW; 2,367  shp) surfaced
  • 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 × 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers
Speed
  • 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) surfaced
  • 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 11,380  nmi (21,080 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement4 officers, 32 enlisted
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • III Flotilla
  • 27 December 1917 – 9 September 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Max Bieler [2]
  • 22 October 1917 – 31 May 1918
  • Kptlt. Günther Ehrlich [3]
  • 1 June – 9 September 1918
Operations: 5 patrols
Victories:
  • 5 merchant ships sunk
    (15,961  GRT)
  • 2 merchant ships damaged
    (7,373  GRT)

SM U-92 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was engaged in the commerce warfare in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

Contents

Construction of U-92 was ordered in August 1915, and her keel was laid down in August 1916 at the Kaiserliche Werft yard in Danzig. [4] She was launched in October 1917, and sunk by mine 9 September 1918. [4]

Design

Type U 87 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 81 submarines. U-92 had a displacement of 757 tonnes (745 long tons) when at the surface and 998 tonnes (982 long tons) while submerged. [1] She had a total length of 65.80 m (215 ft 11 in), a pressure hull length of 50.07 m (164 ft 3 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in), and a draught of 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in). The submarine was powered by two 2,400 metric horsepower (1,800 kW; 2,400 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 1,200 metric horsepower (880 kW; 1,200 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). [1]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph). [1] When submerged, she could operate for 56 nautical miles (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 11,380 nautical miles (21,080 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-92 was fitted with four 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (two at the bow and two at the stern), ten to twelve torpedoes, ND one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun. She had a complement of thirty-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers). [1]

Operations

After acceptance trials at Danzig (where she was first detected by Room 40, which followed and recorded all her subsequent movements), [4] commanded by Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant) Bieler. [5] She joined the Kiel School 2 November 1917, [4] leaving for the North Sea about the end of December 1917, being attached to the 3rd Flotilla at Wilhelmshaven. [4] All her combat operations took place in 1918. [4]

1st Patrol

U-92 departed for her first war patrol 1 January, via Heligoland Bight and around Scotland into the northern Bay of Biscay, [4] recording no sinkings, [4] and returning to Wilhelmshaven [6] 30 January. [4]

2nd Patrol

Her second patrol began 24 February, and she was assigned to a station southwest of Ireland, [7] transiting the Kiel Canal and the Baltic Sea, due to heavy mining in the North Sea. [5] Again, she scored no victories, but was in the vicinity of The Skaw, at the time the commerce raider Wolf stranded a prize, Igotz Mendi, for two days. [4] She also torpedoed the 7,034-ton steamer British Princess, killing one British seaman, and inflicting damage, none severe enough to keep her victim from reaching port. U-92 returned to Kiel on 23 March. [4]

3rd Patrol

After refit, U-92 departed on her third patrol 24 April. She was again assigned to the southwest Ireland station, by way of Heligoland, the Kiel Canal, the Baltic, Denmark, Scotland, and Fair Isle. On this long patrol, from which she returned to Wilhelmshaven on about 28 May (Room 40 was uncertain of the date), [4] she was attacked three times by enemy A/S forces (and once more by patrol seaplane), and again scored no successes. [4] On his return, after his third consecutive dry patrol and in keeping with usual practise for unproductive skippers, Kptlt.. Bieler was relieved. [8]

4th Patrol

U-92 returned to Ireland station for her fourth patrol, sortieing 29 June, [4] now in the hands of Kptlt. Günther Ehrlich. [9] She came under attack on only the second day of her patrol, south of Dogger Bank, by two torpedoes from submarine E42, Both missed. [6] U-92 attacked a convoy eight days later, on 9 July. [10] She sank two armed steamers, the 2814 ton Ben Lomond 30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) southeast of Daunts Rock and the 3,550 ton Mars 74 nmi (137 km; 85 mi) west by north of Bishop Rock. [11] and suffered damage in a collision. [4] On 10 July, she fired on the 339 ton armed schooner Charles Theriault with her deck gun, inflicting damage; Theriault was towed to port. [4] The next day she torpedoed and sank the 5,590-ton United States Navy cargo ship USS Westover at 46°36′N12°21′W / 46.600°N 12.350°W / 46.600; -12.350 with the loss of 11 members of Westover's crew, [12] [13] [14] and on 13 July, the 3058-ton Spanish steamer Ramon de Larrinaga with two torpedoes. [4] By the end of her patrol, on 22 July, she had sunk 22,000 tons [15] of shipping. [4]

5th Patrol

For her fifth patrol, she left via Kattegat on 4 September. She was mined 9 September in Area B of the North Sea Mine Barrage, and lost with all hands; [16] her last position was suspected to be 59°0′N1°30′W / 59.000°N 1.500°W / 59.000; -1.500 ." [4]

Wreck Site

At the end of 2007, her wreck was located there by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency ship Anglian Sovereign. [4]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 1] Fate [17]
4 March 1918 British Princess Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 7,034Damaged
8 July 1918 Ben Lomond Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,814Sunk
8 July 1918 Mars Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,550Sunk
10 July 1918 Charles Theriault Canadian Red Ensign (1868-1921).svg  Canada 339Damaged
11 July 1918 USS Westover Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States Navy 5,769Sunk
13 July 1918 Ramon De Larrinaga BandMercante1785.svg  Spain 3,058Sunk
16 July 1918 Vanlock Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 770Sunk

Related Research Articles

SM <i>U-19</i> (Germany)

SM U-19 was a German Type U-19 U-boat built for the Imperial German Navy. Her construction was ordered on 25 November 1910, and her keel was laid down on 20 October 1911, at the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. She was launched on 10 October 1912, and commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 6 July 1913.

SM U-32 was a German Type U 31 U-boat of the Imperial German Navy.

SM <i>U-35</i> (Germany) German U-31 class submarine which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during WW1

SM U-35 was a German U 31-class U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 220 merchant ships for a total of 505,121 gross register tons (GRT).

SM <i>U-55</i> German U-Boat, known for sinking RMS Carpathia

SM U-55 was one of the six Type U-51 U-boats of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War.

SM <i>U-9</i> German Type U 9 U-boat

SM U-9 was a German Type U 9 U-boat. She was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy, and engaged in commerce raiding (Handelskrieg) during World War I.

SM <i>U-20</i> (Germany) German U-Boat – torpedoed RMS Lusitania in 1915

SM U-20 was a German Type U 19 U-boat built for service in the Imperial German Navy. She was launched on 18 December 1912, and commissioned on 5 August 1913. During World War I, she took part in operations around the British Isles. U-20 became infamous following her sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915, an act that dramatically reshaped the course of World War I.

SM U-68 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 December 1913 as U-9 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. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-9 became U-68, and was redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. She was launched in June 1915 and commissioned in August.

SM <i>U-38</i> German submarine during WW1

SM U-38 was a German Type U 31 U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the third most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 134 merchant ships sunk for a total of 287,811 GRT.

SM <i>U-17</i> (Germany) German submarine that served in WWI

SM U-17 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.

SM <i>U-53</i> Type U 51 U-boats of the Imperial German Navy during WWI

SM U-53 was one of the six Type U 51 U-boats of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War.

SM U-69 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 February 1914 as U-10 the fourth 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-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-70 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 February 1914 as U-11 the final 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-33 was a German Type U 31 U-boat of the Imperial German Navy.

SM <i>U-36</i>

SM U-36 was a Type 31 U-boat in the service of the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire, employed in the commerce war in World War I.

SM <i>U-65</i> (Germany)

SM U-65 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-65 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-78 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-78 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic as a minelayer. On 27 October 1918 low frequency communications from U-78 in the Skagerrak were detected by the British submarine HMS G2 which sank her with the loss of her crew of 40. The commonly listed sinking date of 28 October 1918 is in error.

SM <i>U-79</i>

SM U-79 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-79 was engaged in the combat in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

SM U-96 was a Type U 93 submarine and one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-96 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. She was launched in 1917. On 6 December 1917, she collided with the submarine SM UC-69 at Barfleur, France ; UC-69 sank with the loss of eleven of her crew. U-96 survived the war.

SM <i>U-7</i> (Germany)

SM U-7 was a Type U 5 U-boat, one of the 329 that served in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-7 took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.

References

Notes

  1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gröner 1991, pp. 12–14.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Max Bieler". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Günther Ehrlich". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Koerver, Hans Joachim. Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being (Steinbach, Germany: LIS Reinisch, 2009).
  5. 1 2 Handelskrieg, V, pp.36-7.
  6. 1 2 Handelskrieg, V, p.310-1.
  7. Koerver.
  8. Koerver, Room 40, Vol 1, Fleet in Action.
  9. Handelskrieg, V, pp.310-1.
  10. Handelkrieg, V, p.310-1, dates it 8 July.
  11. National Archives, Kew, UK: ADM 137/4814 and 4817; Handelskrieg, V, 310-1.
  12. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Westover
  13. Online Library of Selected Images: Westover (American Freighter, 1918). Served as USS Westover (ID # 2867) in 1918
  14. NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Westover (ID 2867)
  15. Koerver, Room 40 says: "claimed 22,000 tons". Claimed, because it was U-92 who sent these numbers by W/T to the German Admiralty. It was the captain's estimation (for whatever reason) of the real numbers, telegraphed 14 July to his seniors before he could reach his base on 22 July. This W/T was deciphered by Room 40. The real number is the summation of the sunk ships mentioned here: 15,000 tons. It was the general trend from the German side to overestimate the numbers of ships sunk: at the end of the war the Allieds published a detailed list with each sunk ship, resulting in 12 Mio tons, while Germany claimed 18 Mio tons of ships sunk, based only on the raw numbers estimated by the C.O.s of their submarines.
  16. Handelskrieg, Vol 5
  17. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 92". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.

Bibliography