Type U 87 submarine
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Germaniawerft, Kiel and Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | Type U 81 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 93 |
| Completed | 6 |
| Lost | 4 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Type U 87 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 × 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 32 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
Type 87 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.
Design
[edit]Type 87 U-boats carried 16 torpedoes and had various arrangements of deck guns. U 87 and U 89 had one 10.5 cm/45 and one 8.8 cm deck gun, U 88 was probably equally armed. U 90 - U 92 were armed with one 10.5 cm/45 gun (140-240 rounds).[citation needed]
They carried a crew of 36 and had excellent seagoing abilities with a cruising range of approximately 11,220 nautical miles (20,780 km; 12,910 mi). Many arrangements from the Type 81, 87, and 93 were also seen on the World War II Type IX U-boats when their design work took place 20 years later.[citation needed]
Compared to the previous type 81, the 87s were 4.26 metres (14.0 ft) shorter, while the pressure hull was shortened .48 metres (1 ft 7 in).[2] They were 1.2 knots (2.2 km/h; 1.4 mph) slower on the surface, and .5 knots (0.93 km/h; 0.58 mph) slower submerged, but increased range by 180 nautical miles (330 km; 210 mi) to 11,380 nautical miles (21,080 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots. They carried 16 torpedoes instead of 12. As with the previous type, there was a mixture of guns. Crew size was increased by 1 to 36.
Compared to the following type 93, the 87s were 5.75 metres (18.9 ft) shorter, with the pressure hull 5.98 metres (19.6 ft) shorter and 105 tons lighter.[3] Their range was 2,288 nautical miles (4,237 km; 2,633 mi) longer, but speed was 1.2 knots (2.2 km/h; 1.4 mph) slower on the surface and unchanged submerged.
Service history
[edit]Type 87 boats were responsible for sinking 2.218% of all allied shipping sunk during the war, taking a total of 284,961 combined tons. They also damaged 36,595 combined tons.[citation needed]
| Boat | Sunk | Damaged | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-87 | 59,828 | 7,638 | 67,466 |
| U-88 | 39,382 | 845 | 40,227 |
| U-89 | 8,496 | 324 | 8,820 |
| U-90 | 74,175 | 8,594 | 82,769 |
| U-91 | 87,119 | 11,821 | 98,940 |
| U-92 | 15,961 | 7,373 | 23,334 |
| Totals | 284,961 | 36,595 | 321,556 |
References
[edit]- ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 12–14.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat Types: Type U 81". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat Types: Type 93". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Further reading
[edit]- Rössler, Eberhard (2001). The U-boat: The evolution and technical history of German submarines. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-36120-8.
External links
[edit]- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat Types: Type U 87". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.