Type U 19 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. Type U 19 U-boats were the first U-boats with Diesel engines for surface propulsion and charging the batteries for the electrical engines. Originally the preceding Type U 17 submarine was intended to be the first diesel U-boat, but delays in developing these diesel engines meant that these two Type U 17 U-boats received Kerosene engines instead. Other improvements included the change from 45-cm to 50-cm torpedo tubes for launching the G6 torpedo, and the installation of a deck gun.[3]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | Type U 17 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 23 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 64.15 m (210 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 31 men |
| Armament |
|
The four Type 19 U-boats were ordered on 25 November 1910 from the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig shipyard.[3]
Design
editType U 19s had an overall length of 64.15 m (210 ft 6 in) The boats' beam was 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in), the draught was 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in), with a total height of 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in). The boats displaced 650 tonnes (640 long tons) when surfaced and 837 t (824 long tons) when submerged.[1][4]
Type U 19s were fitted with two MAN 8-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines with a total of 1,700 metric horsepower (1,250 kW; 1,677 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 15.4 knots (28.5 km/h; 17.7 mph), and 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) on the surface and 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[1] Diving depth was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).[4]
The U-boats were armed with four 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 31 enlisted.[1][4]
Ships
edit| Name | launched | commissioned[5] | merchant ships sunk (nbr / GRT )[5] |
warships sunk ( nbr / tons )[5] |
Fate[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-19 | 10 Oktober 1912 | 6 July 1913 | 55 / 101.389 | none | Surrendered on 24 November 1918. Scrapped in 1919-20 at Blyth |
| U-20 | 18 December 1912 | 5 Augustus 1913 | 36 / 104.300 | none | Stranded on 5 November 1916 at Jutland. Broken up in 1925. |
| U-21 | 8 February 1913 | 22 September 1913 | 36 / 78.712 | 4 / 34.440 | Sunk 22 February 1919 whilst on her way to internment |
| U-22 | 6 March 1913 | 25 November 1913 | 44 / 46.365 | none | Surrendered on 1 December 1918. Scrapped in 1919-20 at Blyth |
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d e Möller & Brack 2004, p. 23.
- ^ Rössler 1981, p. 327.
- ^ a b Rössler 1981, p. 28.
- ^ a b c Gröner 1991, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c Herzog 1993, p. 67.
Bibliography
edit- Gröner, Erich (1991). Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (eds.). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. 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.