Type U 5 submarine

Last updated
Class overview
Builders Germaniawerft, Kiel
OperatorsWar Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg  Imperial German Navy
Preceded by Type U 3
Succeeded by Type U 9
Completed4
Lost4
General characteristics
Displacement
  • 505  t (497 long tons) surfaced
  • 636 t (626 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) (o/a)
  • 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) (pressure hull)
Draught3.55 m (11 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced
  • 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h; 11.7 mph) submerged
Range
  • 3,300 nmi (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) surfaced
  • 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Test depth30 m (98 ft)
Complement4 officers, 24 men
Armament

Type U 5 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.

Contents

Design

Type U 5s had an overall length of 57.30 m (188 ft 0 in) The boats' beam was 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in), the draught was 3.55 m (11 ft 8 in). The boats displaced 505 tonnes (497 long tons) when surfaced and 636 t (626 long tons) when submerged. [1] [2]

Type U 5s were fitted with two Körting 6-cylinder and two 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 900 metric horsepower (662  kW ; 888  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 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph), and 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h; 11.7 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) on the surface and 55 nmi (102  km ; 63  mi ) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged. [1] [2] Constructional diving depth [a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in). [3] [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 24 enlisted men. [4] [2]

Type U 5 U-boats were the first U-boats to be equipped with a radiotelegraphy station. This station had a range of 30 nmi (56  km ; 35  mi ) between U-boats and double that distanc towards shore stations. Two aerial masts were installed on the deck, which could be lowered from inside the boat. A crude Underwater telegraph consisting of a bell with a clapper activated by compressed air, was also introduced with the Type U 5s, but this system was not satisfactory. [5]

Ships

Namelaunched [6] commissioned [6] ships sunk (nbr / GRT) [6] Fate [1]
U-5 8 January 19102 July 1910noneSunk on 18 December 1914 in the English Channel.
U-6 18 May 191012 August 191013 / 4.654Sunk on 15 September 1915 near Norway.
U-7 28 July 191018 July 1911noneSunk on 21 February 1915 near Netherlands.
U-8 14 March 191118 June 19115 / 15.049Sunk on 4 March 1915 in the English Channel.

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. [3]

Citations

Bibliography