U13 class (1911)

Germany: SM U13, U14, U15 (1909-1912), U16 (1911)

WW1 German U-Boats

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The U 13 class (U 13, 14, 15) was an evolutionary design from the U9 class built at the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig on 8-10 1909-1912. They were larger and powered by Gasoline engines. U13 was the class leader of three units very close in design to the sole U16 built by Germaniawerft, almost similar (significantly lower displacement, one more knot in surface) also seen here.
They were a little larger than the U5-U9 at 58 meters for a deeper draft at 3.40 meters. Their Kerosene and Parrafin Körting engines delivered a greater output as the batteries. As a result, surface speed was the best of any U-Boats at 14.8 knots, while underwater speed was 10.7 knots, also best so far. The hulls differed little from previous designs, but they could dive deeper. They paid a heavy price early in the war: U13 was sunk by gunfire on August 9, 1914, U14 was rammed by the armed trawler HMS Hawk in June 1915 and U15 by the cruiser HMS Birmingham, the very same day. U16 survived the war and was ceded in war reparations, sinking while being towed to Britain in 1919.

Design of the U13 class:

Hull and general design

The U13 was an incremental step, still considered as semi-experimental in the construction approach by the Navy top brass, especially Hipper. The U13 were barely longer versions of the U9 by a different yard, using the very same sections and conning tower, same armament and same crew, almost all the way back to U2. They repeated the same design with a clearly separate upper outer hull with a flat deck running all along, straight prow, and large ballast tanks below surrounding the cylindrical pressure hull. The top of these ballast tanks was flat, so that in port, the crew could step on it for close manoeuvres. This was also believed to improved stability in rough weather.
They were 57.88 m long, 6 m wide, with a draught of 3.44 m, for a displacement of 516 tons when surfaced, 644 tons when submerged.
The crew comprised 29 men, with four officers.

Above, a “family portait” with U13, the lead boat, to the left, directly next to the sub tender SM Acheron.

Powerplant

This was an interesting evolution of previous designs, with the same goal since 1910, to reach a critical surfaced speed enabling them some range for manoeuvres to attack or escape. At no point they were expected to follow the fleet (battle speed was 21 knots) but rather gain an ambushing position. The engines for surface travel comprised not two but four engines:
Two Körting six-cylinder 2-stroke petroleum (gasoline) engines,
Two Körting 8-cylinder 2-stroke Parrafin engines,
Total output was 882 kW (1,200 hp) for 900 PS (660 kW; 890 shp) at 550 rpm.
Underwater they were powered by two SSW Doppel-Modyn-Elektromotor electric motors rated for 860 kW (1,160 hp) or 1,040 PS (760 kW; 1,030 shp) total (depending on sources) at 600 rpm.
These enabled speeds of 14.8 knots when surfaced (27.4 km/h; 17.0 mph) and 10.7 knots underwater (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph), quite an impressive feat as all previous U-Boats were capable of 13 knots at best, and 8 knots underwater.
Their operating radius was up to 4,000 nm (7408 km) when surfaced. When submerged at 5 knots, they still can reach 90 NM (167 km).
Bu more importantly, they could go under a maximum diving depth of 50 meters (150 ft), versus 30 meters (90 ft) for the previous U9 class boats.
At this point it might be interesting to note these successful boats, again, were not powered by diesels when surfaced. For this, we will have to wait for 1910, when this proposal was floated out by no less than the same yard in Dantzig: The U19 class. In between Germaniawerft delivered U16 (see below) and Dantzig made a follow-up of its U13 class with the U17 class (U17, U18).
The major difference was that for the U17 class, the same four kerosene powered plants were used instead of mixing kerosene and parrafin engines, as the former were compared and judged superior.

Armament

The U13 were armed exactly like previous U9 boats, with six torpedoes carried internally, two bow and two stern tubes.

Torpedo Tubes

The four 450 mm (17.7 inches) torpedo tubes could be reloaded from above via the larger hatches described above, and these were the 45 cm (17.7″) C/06 of 1907, 1,704 lbs. (773 kg) for 222 in (5.650 m) in lenght, carrying a warhead of 270 lbs. (122.6 kg) TNT to 1,640 yards (1,500 m) at 34.5 knots or 3,380 yards (3,000 m) at 26 knots due to her Brotherhood system. More on navweaps

3.7cm/27 L/30 Hotchkiss Gun

Originally these boats were likely armed with a 7.9mm/79 Maxim machine gun installed on a pintle aft of the CT until 1914.
The new Hotchkiss L/30 was installed by late 1914.
It was manufactured under licence by the Gruson company, named ‘3.7 cm Revolver Kanone Hotchkiss – Gruson’.
Weight 571 kg, 32.20mm (total tube length), 20 rifled part, 12x grooves 6 degrees angle
Projectile weight: 0.63 kg HE or 0.64 kg shrapnel, mv 494 m/s
Fire rate 32-50 rpm, range 2000 m HE, +18 degrees elevation.

5cm/37 SK L/40 C/92 Gun

Installed on U9 to U12 from 1915.
Designed in 1892 but produced as the 5 cm SK L/40 (2 inches) first and replaced by the 5 cm Tbts KL/40 in 1913.
It weighted 240 kg (530 lb), for 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long, 1.83 m (6 ft) barrel.
It fired a Fixed QF 52 x 333R 1.75 kg (3.9 lb) HE shell at 656 m/s (2,150 ft/s)
The Breech was of the Horizontal sliding-wedge type for a rate of fire of 10 rpm
Elevation was -5° to +20°, traverse 360° with a single gunner, and two loaders.
Maximum firing range was 6.2 km (3.9 mi) at +20°. This was considered a defensive gun only, as the round had little power.

10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun

In 1915 they received a 105mm deck gun with 300 rounds. For this, the crew rose to 35 men, still with four officers, albeit one was now a gunnery officer.
Built by Meddinghaus it was designed specially for deck use, low, with many sensible elements protected from corrosion.
Specs:
1,450 kg (3,200 lb), 4.725 m (15 ft 6.0 in), 6.8 mm (0.27 in) wide.
Shell 10.5 cm (4.1 in) 25.5 kg (56 lb) fixed Brass Casing 17.4 kg (38 lb)
Breech: Horizontal sliding-block, MPL C/06: -10° to +30° mount
Rate of fire: 15 RPM
Muzzle velocity 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
Effective range 12,700 m (41,700 ft) at 30°

Author’s rendition

The case of U16

U16 was a comparative boat ordered by the Kaiserliches Marine from Germaniawerft. She was given the same specifications and that was for comparative tests. However she ended smaller and faster while surfaced as a result. Unlike the U13 class boats, she was very successul in her career too. She was “double-hulled” and ocean-going, but designed by Hans Techel. U16 was launched on August 29, 1911 at the Germania shipyard in Kiel, commissioned on December 28, 1911 under Lieutenant Commander Paul Clarenbach.
She was slighlty shorter than the U13 at 57.8 m long, for the same beam, and similar draft of 3.36 m (3.4 in many publications) for a lower displacement surfaced of 489 tons, 627 tons underwater. The crew was the same at 29 men, and she had almost the same powerplant, two 6-cyl. (550 rpm) and two 8-cyl. (600 rpm) all paraffin (Gasoline) Körting engines for 1,200 hp and two SSW twin Modyn electric motors for 860 hp. The result was a better speed at 15.6 knots surfaced and the same 10.7 knots underwater, and much better range on paper at 4,500 nautical miles surfaced, 90 underwater, same diving depth of 50 meters, same armament consisted of two bow, two stern tubes, 6 in all, and a 37 mm revolver cannon replaced by a 5 cm gun in 1915.
Here are her specs below:

Career of the U13 class

U13 was Ordered on 23 February 1908 to Kaiserliche Werft Danzig for 2,101,070 Goldmark at Yard 8, laid down the same year, launched on 16 December 1911, commissioned on 25 April 1912 and she conducted a in single patrol. She had been under Lieutenant Commander Richard Pohle from 25 April 1912 to 1st August 1914, then replaced in wartime by Lieutenant Commander Hans Artur Graf von Schweinitz. On August 6, 1914, she left the Heligoland naval base for a first patrol with nine other submarines. She was to form a sentry line with intervalled over seven nautical miles. According to orders she was not to cross the 59th parallel. On August 9, 1914, she was reported missing. It was assumed sank without on August 12, three days after U 15. All 29 crew members, including the commanders Graf von Schweinitz and Krain Freiherr von Kauder went down with her. The exact cause remained unclear and her wreck was never rediscovered. She probably struck a mine or sank as a result of an accident as no British reoported having sunk a submarine in the area at the time.

The double-hulled ocean-going U-14 was ordered on February 23, 1909, laid down at the Imperial Shipyard in Danzig on July 11, 1911, completed on April 24, 1912, and commissioned on April 25, 1912, under command of Lieutenant Walther Schwieger. Her was succeeded by Walther Schwieger from 1 August 1914 to 15 December, then Otto Dröscher until 15 April 1915 and Max Hammerle until her loss on 5 June 1915. She conducted nine patrols (no sinkings, but conflicted sources). One stated on her first patrol she sank the 1,669 GRT Danish freighter Cyrus on 2 June 1915 and a day later, the Swedish freighter Lappland (2,238 GRT) bewteen Narvik and Middlesbrough. On 5 June 1915,she was surfaced wjen caught by the RN armed trawler Oceanic II, off the Scottish coast east of Aberdeen (in fog). Unsure of what she was, Captain Hammerle fired a warning shot to challenge her. Oceanic II answered by immediately opened fire. Hammerle immediately ordered to dive, but due to a damaged flood valve, only the stern went down, the bow remained above water, pummeled. Meanwhile, more armed trawlers arrived and fired at her bow, closing range until Hammerle had no mor option but to surface and surrender. Before he can do so however U-14 was rammed by the trawler Hawk. Badly damaged, he still surfaced and gave the order to abandon ship, sinking rapidly. 27 crew members were rescued but the commander remained on board.

U15 was launched on September 18, 1911 and commissioned on July 7, 1912. She conducted only two patrols and sank no ship. Her first captain until the war was Lieutenant Hans Adam from 7 July 1912 and Richard Pohle 1 August 1914 until her loss. Five days after he took command U-15 and nine other U-boats left Heligoland for Britain and on August 8, she spotted the modern dreadnought of the Orion class HMS Ajax, Monarch, and Orion. She lunched her torpedoes but missed HMS Monarch. This was the first submarine combat action by a German U-boat in this war. The next morning, U-15 was surfaced while in fog when the light cruiser HMS Birmingham emerged from it near Fair Isle. CaptainPohle immediately ordered to submerged, but something broke done and before she could do so, she was rammed by the cruiser. She was rolled completely over and broke in two due to the pressure, sinking with all hands as the first U-boat lost in World War I.

U16 was ordered on 26 August 1909 to Germaniawerft, Kiel on the same design, at a Cost of 2,539,000 Goldmark in yard 157. Laid down on 10 May 1910 she was launched on 29 August 1911 and commissioned on 28 December 1911. Before the war she was under command of KtLt Paul Clarenbach until 31 July 1914. She started her career with Kapitänleutnant Klaus Hansen from 1. August to 15. March 1915, then Oberleutnant zur See Leo Hillebrand until 21 October 1915, Kapitänleutnant Kurt Hartwig until June 1916, Friedrich Crüsemann, August Mildenberger, Karl Meusel from December 1916 until February 1917, Karl Edeling, Herbold Rabe von Pappenheim, Wilhelm Canaris (yes, this one) from 2 June 1917 to 11 September 1917, Heinrich Middendorff, Edmund Pauli, Karl-Friedrich von Abendroth, Paul Stratmann, Gerhard Behn and Erich Metzenthin in November 1918. She made thus 13 patrols, sinking ten Entente merchant ships for 11,476 GRT. Other sources mention only four combat patrols, eleven ships and 11,730 GRT but 11,228 GRT damaged, one captured at 838 GRT. She survived the War.
Her successes were the British Dulwich (3,289 GRT), French Ville de Lille (997t) Dinorah (4,208 GRT, Damaged), Norwegian Belridge (7,020t, Damaged), Swedish M. Roosval (309t), Danish Betty (2,109 GRT), Russian Mars (251t), Danish Søborg (2,108 GRT), Thorvaldsen (1,220 GRT), Ellen Benzon (143 GRT) and Norwegian Flora (184 GRT), Actie (562 GRT), Florida (558 GRT), the Swedish Pallas (838 GRT) being captured as prize. All in February, May and September 1915 under Klaus Hansen and Leo Hillebrand. On 8 February 1919, she was attributed by the allied commission as war repartriation to Britain but sank while under tow during her delivery voyage to Britain in the North Sea.

Read More/Src

Books

Johannes Spieß: Sechs Jahre U-Bootfahrten. R. Hobbing, Berlin 1925.
Johannes Spieß: U-Boot-Abenteuer. 6 Jahre U-Boot-Fahrten. Verlag Tradition Kolk, Berlin 1932 Kriegsabenteuer eines U-Boot-Offiziers. Berlin 1938.
Bodo Herzog, Günter Schomaekers: Ritter der Tiefe, graue Wölfe. Die erfolgreichsten U-Bootkommandanten der Welt. 2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Conway Maritime Press.
Rössler, Eberhard (1985). The German Submarines and Their Shipyards: Submarine Construction Until the End of the First World War. Bernard & Graefe.
Werner von Langsdorff: U-Boote am Feind. 45 deutsche U-Boot-Fahrer erzählen. Bertelsmann, Gütersloh 1937.
Carl Ludwig Panknin: Unterseeboot „U. 3“. Verlagshaus für Volksliteratur und Kunst, Berlin 1911
Unterseeboot „U. 9“. Schiffe Menschen Schicksale.
Bodo Herzog: Deutsche U-Boote 1906–1966. Erlangen: Karl Müller Verlag, 1993
Eberhard Möller/Werner Brack: Enzyklopädie deutscher U-Boote Von 1904 bis zur Gegenwart, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002
Ulf Kaack: Die deutschen U-Boote Die komplette Geschichte, GeraMond Verlag GmbH, München 2020
Robert Hutchinson: Kampf unter Wasser – Unterseeboote von 1776 bis heute, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006

Links

en.wikipedia.org SM_U-9
uboat.net/ types U13
uboat.net U16