Type U 3 submarine

Class overview
Builders	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	U 2
Succeeded by	Type U 5
Completed	2
Lost	0
General characteristics [1]
Displacement	421  t (414 long tons) surfaced 510 t (500 long tons) submerged
Length	51.28 m (168 ft 3 in) (o/a) 45.00 m (147 ft 8 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Draught	3.05 m (10 ft)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 600 PS (440 kW; 590 shp) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors with 1,030 PS (760 kW; 1,020 shp)
Speed	11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph) surfaced 9.4 knots (17.4 km/h; 10.8 mph) submerged
Range	1,800  nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Complement	3 officers, 19 men
Armament	4 × torpedo tubes (2 bow, 2 stern) 6 × 45 cm (18 in) torpedoes until end 1914: 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun from 1915 on U-3: 1 × 5 cm (2.0 in) SK L/40 gun

Type U3 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. The two Type U 3 boats were ordered on 13 August 1907 from the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. They had more powerfull engines than the previous U 2 and were far more reliable. ^[2]

Design

Type U 3s had an overall length of 51.28 m (168 ft 3 in) The boats' beam was 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in), the draught was 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in). The boats displaced 421 tonnes (414 long tons) when surfaced and 510 t (500 long tons) when submerged. ^{[3] [1]}

Type U 3s were fitted with two Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 600 metric horsepower (441  kW ; 592  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 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph), and 9.4 knots (17.4 km/h; 10.8 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) on the surface and 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged. ^{[3] [1]} Constructional diving depth ^[a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in). ^[4]

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 3 officers and 19 enlisted. ^{[3] [1]} Until the end of 1914, the Type U 3 U-boats could be equipped with a rotating Hotchkiss gun, and after 1915 U-3 was occasianally equipped with an extra 5 cm SK L/40 gun. ^{[5] [3]}

Ships

Name	launched [6]	commissioned [6]	ships sunk [6]	Fate [3]
U-3	27 March 1909	29 May 1909	none	Sunk on 1 December 1918 whilst under tow to scrapyard.
U-4	18 May 1909	1 July 1909	none	Scrapped in 1919

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. ^[4]

Citations

1. Gröner 1991, pp. 4–6.
2. Rössler 1981, p. 22.
3. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 22.
4. Rössler 1981, p. 26.
5. Herzog 1993, p. 45.
6. Herzog 1993, p. 67.

Bibliography

• 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.
• Herzog, Bodo (1993). Deutsche U-Boote : 1906 - 1966[German U-boats : 1906 - 1966] (in German). Erlangen: Müller. ISBN   9783860700365.
• 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.