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Type U 17 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. As from 1908 the Germans were considering U-boats with diesel engines, but pending the development of a sufficient lightweight diesel engine, paraffin engines were used. Type 17 was a design for two diesel engines but when the U-boats were ordered in 1910, the diesel engines were not yet available and instead four paraffin engines were installed.[1]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | U 16 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 19 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament |
|
Design
editType U 17s had an overall length of 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) The boats' beam was 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in), the draught was 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in), with a total height of 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in). The boats displaced 564 tonnes (555 long tons) when surfaced and 691 t (680 long tons) when submerged.[2]
Type U 17s were fitted with four Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 1,400 metric horsepower (1,030 kW; 1,381 bhp) for use on the surface and two AEG double-acting electric motors with a total of 820 kW (1,115 PS; 1,100 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph), and 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) when submerged.[2] Electrical engines were usually left open without protection against drip or bilge water to save weight, but Type 17 U-boats were the first U-boats to have fully encased electrical engines.[3] Cruising range was 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) on the surface and 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[2] Diving depth was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).
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.[2]
Ships
edit| Name | launched[4] | commissioned[4] | merchant ships sunk (nbr / GRT )[4] |
Fate[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-17 | 16 April 1912 | 3 November 1912 | 12 / 16.635 | Scrapped in 1919-20. |
| U-18 | 25 April 1912 | 17 November 1912 | none | Sunk on 23 November near the Orkney islands. |
Citations
edit- ^ Rössler 1981, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e Möller & Brack 2004, p. 22.
- ^ Möller & Brack 2004, p. 154.
- ^ a b c Herzog 1993, p. 67.
Bibliography
edit- 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.