Type U 13 submarine

Class overview
Builders	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	Type U 9
Succeeded by	U-16
Completed	3
Lost	3
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	516  t (508 long tons) surfaced 644 t (634 long tons) submerged
Length	57.88 m (189 ft 11 in)
Beam	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Draught	3.44 m (11 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × Körting 6-cylinder and 2 × Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 900 PS (660 kW; 890 shp) 2 × SSW electric motors with 1,040 PS (760 kW; 1,030 shp)
Speed	14.8 knots (27.4 km/h; 17.0 mph) surfaced 10.7 knots (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph) submerged
Range	2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 14 kn surfaced 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 5 kn submerged
Test depth	50 m (160 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 25 men
Armament	4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes

Type U13 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.

Design

Type U 13s had an overall length of 57.88 m (189 ft 11 in) The boats' beam was 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in), the draught was 3.44 m (11 ft 3 in). The boats displaced 516 tonnes (508 long tons) when surfaced and 644 t (634 long tons) when submerged. ^[1]

Type U 13s were fitted with two Körting 6-cylinder and two 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 1,200 metric horsepower (883  kW ; 1,184  bhp ) for use on the surface and two SSW double-acting electric motors with a total of 760 kW (1,033 PS; 1,019 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 14.8 knots (27.4 km/h; 17.0 mph), and 10.7 knots (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) on the surface and 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged. ^[1] Constructional diving depth ^[a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in). ^[2]

The U-boats were armed with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 25 enlisted. ^[1]

Ships

Name	launched [3]	commissioned [3]	ships sunk [3]	Fate [1]
U-13	16 December 1910	25 April 1912	none	Sunk on 12 August 1914 in the North Sea.
U-14	11 July 1911	25 April 1912	none	Sunk on 5 June 1915 in the North Sea.
U-15	18 September 1911	7 July 1912	none	Sunk on 9 August 1914 in the North Sea.

Footnotes

Notes

1. Constructional diving depth had a safety factor of 2.5, which meant that crushing depth was 2.5 times construction diving depth. ^[2]

Citations

1. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 22.
2. Rössler 1981, p. 26.
3. Herzog 1993, p. 67.

Bibliography

• Herzog, Bodo (1993). Deutsche U-Boote : 1906 - 1966[German U-boats : 1906 - 1966] (in German). Erlangen: Müller. ISBN   9783860700365.
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-593-4.
• Möller, Eberhard; Brack, Werner (2004). The Encyclopedia of U-Boats. London: Chatham. ISBN   1-85367-623-3.
• Rössler, Eberhard (1981). The U-boat: The evolution and technical history of German submarines. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN   0-304-36120-8.