Type U 43 submarine

Class overview
Builders	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	Type U 31
Succeeded by	Type U 51
Completed	8
Lost	6
General characteristics [1]
Displacement	725  t (714 long tons) surfaced 940 t (930 long tons) submerged
Length	65 m (213 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) (oa) 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.70 m (28 ft 7 in)
Draught	3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Installed power	2 × 2,000  PS (1,471  kW; 1,973  shp) surfaced 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion	2 shafts
Speed	15.2 knots (28.2 km/h; 17.5 mph) surfaced 9.7 knots (18.0 km/h; 11.2 mph) submerged
Range	11,400  nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 51 nmi (94 km; 59 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	36
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) [2] 8 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun with 276 rounds

Type U 43 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.

Design

Type U 43s had an overall length of 65 m (213 ft 3 in) The boats' beam was 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), the draught was 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in), with a total height of 8.7–8.04 m (28 ft 7 in – 26 ft 5 in). The boats displaced 725 tonnes (714 long tons) when surfaced and 940 t (930 long tons) when submerged. ^{[3] [1]}

Type U 43s were fitted with two MAN six-cylinder four-stroke S6V41/42 diesel engines with a total of 2,000 metric horsepower (1,471  kW ; 1,973  bhp ) for use on the surface and two AEG double-acting electric motors with a total of 880 kW (1,196 PS; 1,180 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 15.2 knots (28.2 km/h; 17.5 mph), and 9.7 knots (18.0 km/h; 11.2 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 11,400 nautical miles (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) on the surface and 51 nautical miles (94 km; 59 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged. ^[4] Constructional diving depth ^[a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in). ^{[5] [1]}

The U-boats were armed with six 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes, four fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried eight torpedoes. All boats received initially one or two 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck guns. Some boats had their sole deck gun replaced with a 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 gun. The boats' complement was four officers and thirty-two enlisted men. ^{[3] [1]}

Ships

Name	Launched [6]	Commissioned [6]	Merchant ships sunk (nbr / GRT ) [6]	Fate [3]
U-43	26 September 1914	30 April 1915	44 / 116.500	Surrendered on 20 November 1918 and scrapped at Swansea in 1920
U-44	15 October 1914	7 May 1915	21 / 72.332	Lost on 12 August 1917 in the North Sea
U-45	15 April 1915	9 October 1915	24 / 45.622	Lost on 12 September 1917 west of the Shetlands
U-46	18 May 1915	17 December 1915	51 / 139.105	Surrendered on 26 November 1918, transferred to Japanese Navy and scrapped in 1922 in Kure
U-47	16 August 1915	28 February 1916	14 / 21.075	Scuttled on 28 October 1918 off Pola
U-48	3 October 1915	22 April 1916	34 / 103.552	Lost on 24 November 1917 in the Thames estuary
U-49	26 November 1915	31 May 1916	38 / 86.443	Lost on 11 September 1917 in the Irish Sea
U-50	31 December 1915	4 July 1916	26 / 92.764	Missing in September 1917 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. ^[5]

Citations

1. Gröner 1991, pp. 8–10.
2. Rössler 1981, pp. 328–329.
3. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 27.
4. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 25.
5. Rössler 1981, p. 26.
6. Herzog 1993, pp. 67–78.

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.