Type U 5 submarine

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

Class overview
Builders	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	Type U 3
Succeeded by	Type U 9
Completed	4
Lost	4
General characteristics
Displacement	505 t (497 long tons) surfaced 636 t (626 long tons) submerged
Length	57.30 m (188 ft 0 in) (o/a) 43.10 m (141 ft 5 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) (o/a) 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) (pressure hull)
Draught	3.55 m (11 ft 8 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × Körting 6-cylinder and 2 ×  Körting 8-cylinder two stroke Kerosene motors with 900 PS (660 kW; 890 shp) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors with 1,040 PS (760 kW; 1,030 shp)
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 depth	30 m (98 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 24 men
Armament	4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun

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

Name	launched[6]	commissioned[6]	ships sunk (nbr / GRT)[6]	Fate[1]
U-5	8 January 1910	2 July 1910	none	Sunk on 18 December 1914 in the English Channel.
U-6	18 May 1910	12 August 1910	13 / 4.654	Sunk on 15 September 1915 near Norway.
U-7	28 July 1910	18 July 1911	none	Sunk on 21 February 1915 near Netherlands.
U-8	14 March 1911	18 June 1911	5 / 15.049	Sunk 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

1. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 19.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 4–6.
3. Rössler 1981, p. 26.
4. Möller & Brack 2004, p. 219.
5. Rössler 1981, p. 27.
6. Herzog 1993, p. 67.

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.