SM U-117 at Cape Charles |
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Class overview | |
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Builders: | Vulkan Hamburg Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Operators: | Kaiserliche Marine |
Subclasses: | U-122 |
Built: | 1917–1918 |
In commission: | 1917–1918 |
Completed: | 9 |
Lost: | 1 (sunk as targets) |
Scrapped: | 8 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Ocean-going mine-laying submarine |
Displacement: | 1,512 long tons (1,536 t) |
Length: | 267 ft 4 in (81.48 m) |
Beam: | 24 ft 3 in (7.39 m) |
Draft: | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
Propulsion: | 2 shafts, 2 MAN diesel engines 2,400 shp (1,800 kW) two electric motors 1,200 shp (890 kW) |
Speed: | 14.7 knots (16.9 mph; 27.2 km/h) (surfaced) 7 knots (8.1 mph; 13 km/h) (submerged) |
Range: | 9,400 nmi (17,410 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) (surfaced) 35 nmi (60 km) at 4.5 knots (8 km/h) (submerged) |
Complement: | 40 |
Armament: | 4 x 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes 2 x 100 cm (39 in) minelaying tubes 1 x 15-centimeter (5.9 in) KL/45 gun |
The Type UE II submarines were a class of submarines built by the German Empire during World War I as long-range mine-layers.
UE II boats carried 14 torpedoes and were armed with one 150 mm deck gun. They carried a crew of 40 and had a cruising range of about 9,400 miles. Nine were built between 1917 and 1918.[1]
The UE IIs joined the conflict in the middle of 1917, at a time when the tide of the war was turning against Germany. In the months beforehand, the United States Navy was added to the ranks of their enemies; and the convoy system was introduced, making it difficult to engage enemy merchant shipping without being spotted by destroyer escorts.[2] Because they entered service late in the war, the UE IIs only sank 24 ships and damaged 3 others before the end of hostilities. SM U-117 was by far the most successful U-boat, taking credit for 21 ships sunk out of the total of 24 for the entire type.[3] The UE II's were the last of the UE class U-boats built by the German Imperial Navy; the last of the class, U-126, was commissioned on 3 October 1918, a little over a month before the armistice at Compiègne.[4]
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Following the end of the war, all of the Type UE II submarines were handed over to the allies as part of the Treaty of Versailles. SM U-117 was handed over to the United States where she remained in the Philadelphia Navy Yard along with other U-boats. In June 1921 she was taken out to sea and sunk as a target for aerial bombing tests conducted by the Navy and Army.[3] SM U-118 was turned over to France but got washed ashore at Hastings in Sussex where she remained until being finally broken up in December 1919.[5] SM U-119 was surrendered to France in November 1918. She was renamed the René Audry and saw service in the French Navy and was eventually broken up in October 1937.[6] SM U-120 was transferred to Italy in November 1918. She was broken up soon after in April 1919.[7] SM U-122 was surrendered to England on 26 November 1918. She later ran aground on the English east coast while on her journey to Scapa Flow.[8] Like SM U-122, SM U-123 also ran aground on the English coast where she was broken up.[9] SM U-124 was surrendered in December 1918 and was later broken up in Swansea in 1921.[10] SM U-125 Surrendered to Japan in late November 1918. She served in the Japanese Navy as the O1 in 1920-21. between January and March 1921, U-125 was dismantled at Yokosuka Navy Yard.[11] SM U-126 was handed over to the allies in November 1918 and later broken up at Upnor in 1923.[4]
Date | Name | Tonnage | Nationality | U-boat credited with loss |
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10 August 1918 | Aleda May | 31 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Cruiser | 28 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Earl & Nettie | 24 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Katie L. Palmer | 31 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Mary E. Sennett | 26 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | On Time | 18 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Progress | 34 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | Reliance | 19 | American | U-117 |
10 August 1918 | William H. Starbuck | 53 | American | U-117 |
12 August 1918 | Sommerstad | 3,875 | Norwegian | U-117 |
13 August 1918 | Frederic R. Kellogg* | 7,127 | American | U-117 |
14 August 1918 | Dorothy B. Barrett | 2,088 | American | U-117 |
15 August 1918 | Madrugada | 1,613 | American | U-117 |
16 August 1918 | Mirlo | 6,978 | British | U-117 |
17 August 1918 | Nordhav | 2,846 | Norwegian | U-117 |
24 August 1918 | Bianca* | 408 | British | U-117 |
26 August 1918 | Rush | 162 | American | U-117 |
27 August 1918 | Bergsdalen | 2,555 | Norwegian | U-117 |
30 August 1918 | Elsie Porter | 136 | British | U-117 |
30 August 1918 | Potentate | 136 | British | U-117 |
16 September 1918 | Wellington | 5,600 | British | U-118 |
29 September 1918 | Minnesota* | 18,000 | American | U-117 |
4 October 1918 | San Saba | 2,458 | American | U-117 |
2 October 1918 | Arca | 4,938 | British | U-118 |
18 October 1918 | Njordur | 278 | Iceland | U-122 |
27 October 1918 | Chaparra | 1,510 | Cuban | U-117 |
9 November 1918 | Saetia | 2,873 | American | U-117 |
* Ship was damaged
There were 9 Type UE II submarines commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine.
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