Austro-Hungarian U-boat classes: Difference between revisions

The '''[[Austro-Hungarian]] [[U-boat]]''' fleet duringwas created in the decade prior to the [[First World War]]. mainlyThey consistedwere ofbuilt Germanto manufactureda unitsvariety transportedof bydesigns, railmany fromunder Germany'slicence northernfrom shipyards to the Austrian ports on the [[Adriatic Sea]]Germany. They served throughout the war against Italian, French and British shipping in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] with some success, losing eight of the twenty eight boats in service in return. They were reinforced by the [[Imperial German Navy]]’s [[Pola Flotilla]], mainly comprising [[Coastal submarine|coastal U-boats]] transported by rail from Germany's northern shipyards to the Austrian ports on the [[Adriatic Sea]]. Following the end of the war in 1918, all Austrian submarines were surrendered to the [[Triple Entente|Entente]] powers, who disposed of them individually. As both [[Austria]] and [[Hungary]] became [[landlocked]] in the aftermath of the war, no Austrian or Hungarian submarines (or any other naval vessels) have been commissioned since.

The '''''U-1'' class''' consisted of two [[submarine]]s or [[U-boats]] named [[SM U-1 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-1'']] and [[SM U-2 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-2'']], which were built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The ''U-1''-class boats were built to an American design at the [[Pola Navy Yard|navy yard]] in [[Pula|Pola]].<ref name="Con-342">Gardiner, p. 342.</ref> The class was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's efforts to competitively evaluate three foreign submarine designs.<ref name="Con-340">Gardiner, p. 340.</ref>

The two ''U-1''-class boats, both launched in 1909, were {{convert|100|ft|m}} long and as built were each powered by two [[gasoline engine]]s while surfaced, and two [[electric motor]]s when submerged.<ref name="Con-342" /> Neither boat was operational at the beginning of World War I because both were in drydock awaiting replacement [[diesel engine]]s for their problematic gasoline engines.<ref name="Con-341">Gardiner, p. 341.</ref> Beginning in 1915, both boats conducted reconnaissance cruises out of either [[Trieste]] or Pola until declared obsolete in early 1918. Both remained in service as a training boats at the submarine base on [[Brioni Island|Brioni]], but each was at Pola at the end of the war.<ref name="GP-388">Gibson and Prendergast, p. 388.</ref> They were ceded to Italy as [[war reparations]] in 1920 and scrapped at Pola.<ref name="Con-342" /> Neither submarine sank any ships during the war.<ref name="KUK-U-1">{{cite web

The '''''U-3'' class''' consisted of two U-boats, [[SM U-3 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-3'']] and [[SM U-4 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-4'']], and was also a part of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's efforts to competitively evaluate three foreign submarine designs. The ''U-3''-class boats were designed and built by [[Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft|Germaniawerft]] of [[Kiel]], Germany.<ref name="Con-340">Gardiner, p. 340.</ref> During the evaluations conducted by the Navy, the ''U-3'' design bested the [[U-1 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)|''U-1'']] (Lake) and [[U-5 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)|''U-5'']] (Holland) classes in reliability and provided the best living conditions. They did, however, have the worst diving abilities of the three designs, and produced excessive exhaust smoke.<ref name="Con-340" /><ref group="Note">The results of the evaluation led the Austro-Hungarian Navy to order five new U-boats from Germaniawerft as the {{sclass|U-7|submarine|4}}.</ref>

The two ''U-3''-class boats, both launched in 1908, were just under {{convert|140|ft|m}} long and were each powered by two [[kerosene]] [[two-stroke engine]]s while surfaced, and two electric motors when submerged.<ref name="Con-342" /><ref name="Sieche-17 ">Sieche, p. 17</ref> The ''U-3'' class initially had diving problems that were alleviated after several modifications to fins and [[diving plane]]s. Both boats of the class served in combat during World War I. {{SMSSMU|U-3|Austria-Hungary|2|sub=y}}, the [[lead ship|lead boat]] of the class, was sunk by gunfire in August 1915.<ref name="nh-net">{{cite web

| accessdateaccess-date = 14 November 2008 | archiveurlarchive-url= httphttps://web.archive.org/web/20081228013027/http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyAustrian.htm| archivedatearchive-date= 28 December 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurlurl-status= nolive}}</ref> {{SMSSMU|U-4|Austria-Hungary|2|sub=y}} was the longest-serving Austro-Hungarian submarine<ref name="Con-342" /> and sank over {{GRT|1814,000928|firstdisp=long}} and 7,345 tons of ships, including the Italian armored cruiser [[Italian cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi (1899)|''Giuseppe Garibaldi'']] in July 1915.<ref name="KUK-U-4">{{cite web

The '''''U-5'' class''' consisted of three U-boats, [[SM U-5 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-5'']], [[SM U-6 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-6'']], and [[SM U-12 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-12'']], and was also a part of the efforts of Austro-Hungarian navy to competitively evaluate three foreign submarine designs. The design of the boats was based upon [[John Philip Holland]]'s submarine design and the boats featured a single, [[Teardrop hull|teardrop]]-shaped [[hull (watercraft)|hull]], which resembled the design of modern nuclear submarines.<ref name="Sieche-21">Sieche, p. 21.</ref> The class members were just over {{convert|105|ft|m}} long and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|240|t|ST}} surfaced and {{convert|273|t|ST}} submerged.<ref name="Con-343">Gardiner, p. 343.</ref> All were originally equipped with two bow torpedo tubes and could carry four torpedoes.<ref name="Sieche-17" /> The first two boats, ''U-5'' and ''U-6'', built specifically for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, were partially constructed in the [[United States]] and completed at [[Whitehead & Co.]] at [[Fiume]].<ref name="Sieche-21" /> The third was completely constructed by Whitehead's at Fiume and purchased by [[Austria-Hungary]] to bolster their U-boat fleet after the outbreak of World War I.<ref name="Con-343" />

All three boats had successes during World War I, between them, sinking five ships with a combined [[gross register tonnage]] (GRT) of 22,391. In addition they captured seven ships as [[prize (law)|prize]]s and damaged a French [[dreadnought]] of {{GRT|22,189}} tons.<ref name="U5-ships">{{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = Ships hit during WWI: Ships hit by KUK U5 | url = http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/search.php?boat=KUK+U5 | work = U-Boat War in World War I | publisher = Uboat.net | access-date = | accessdate = 24 November 2008 }}</ref><ref name="U6-ships">{{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = Ships hit during WWI: Ships hit by KUK U6 | url = http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/search.php?boat=KUK+U6 | work = U-Boat War in World War I | publisher = Uboat.net | access-date = | accessdate = 24 November 2008 }}</ref><ref name="U12-ships">{{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = Ships hit during WWI: Ships hit by KUK U12 | url = http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/search.php?boat=KUK+U12 | work = U-Boat War in World War I | publisher = Uboat.net | access-date = | accessdate = 24 November 2008 }}</ref> All three boats were sunk during the war, though ''U-5'', the lead boat of the class, was raised and recommissioned after her sinking. After the war's end, ''U-5'', the only surviving example of the class, was ceded to Italy as a war reparation and was broken up in 1920.<ref name="Con-343" /><ref name="Sieche-22 ">Sieche, p. 22</ref>

The '''''U-10'' class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of five U-boats —[[SM U-10 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-10'']], [[SM U-11 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-11'']], [[SM U-15 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-15'']], [[SM U-16 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-16'']], and [[SM U-17 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-17'']]— of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I. The class was similar to the [[German Type UB I submarine]] of the [[German Imperial Navy]] ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche Marine}}). The boats were small coastal submarines that displaced {{convert|125.5|LT|t}} surfaced and {{convert|140.25|LT|t}} submerged.<ref name="Con-343" /> The first two boats delivered to Austria-Hungary had previously been [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] in February 1915 by the [[Kaiserliche Marine]],<ref name="Con-341" /> while the remaining three were commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian marine in April 1915.<ref name="Con-343" />

The ''U-10'' class as a whole did not have much wartime success, with threetwo of the boats sinking either one or no ships.<ref name="Con-343" /> Only one boat, {{Ship|SMSMU|U-15|Austria-Hungary|2}} sank more than {{GRT|1,000|first=yes}} combined tonnage of enemy ships.<ref name="KUK-U-15">{{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = WWI U-boats: U KUK U15 | url = http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=KUK+U15 | work = U-Boat War in World War I | access-date = | accessdate = 3 November 2008 }}</ref> Of the five submarines of the class, only {{Ship|SMSMU|U-16|Austria-Hungary|2}} was sunk during the war; the remaining four were delivered as war reparations and broken up by 1920.<ref name="Con-343" />

The class boats were just over than {{convert|127|ft|m}} long and were armed with two front torpedo tubes, a [[deck gun]], and a [[machine gun]]. The engines for the boats were unreliable, which compounded handling problems with the design. The ''U-20'' class did not claim any wartime successes, yet lost two of the boats—''U-20'' and ''U-23''—to enemy action during the war. The remaining two were delivered as war reparations and broken up. The [[conning tower]] from ''U-20'', which was raised and salvaged in 1962, is on display in a military museum in [[Vienna]].

All eight boats were commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1917 and 1918 and saw active service during the war. {{SMSSMU|U-27|Austria-Hungary|6|sub=y}} and {{SMSSMU|U-28|Austria-Hungary|6|sub=y}} were the most successful in terms of ships sunk and gross register tonnage sunk, respectively. Two boats sank only one ship each, and a third, {{SMSSMU|U-30|Austria-Hungary|6|sub=y}}, sank no ships. ''U-30'' was also the only boat of the class to be lost during the war. The remaining seven were ceded to France and Italy as war reparations and six were scrapped by 1920; the seventh sank while being towed to [[Bizerta]] for scrapping.

The '''''U-43'' class''' was a class of two coastal U-boats which were Type UB II submarines —[[SM U-43 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-43'']], and [[SM U-47 (Austria-Hungary)|''U-47'']]—of the Imperial German Navy, making the two classes identical. From the beginning of World War I, Austria-Hungary had been working to increase the size of its U-boat fleet, so the Imperial German Navy, which was finding it difficult to obtain trained submarine crews, sold two of its UB II boats, {{SMSSMU|UB-43||2|sub=y}} and {{SMSSMU|UB-47||2|sub=y}}, to its ally in June 1917.

Both boats of the class were selected for German service in the Mediterranean while under construction. They were shipped via rail to Pola, assembled, launched, and commissioned in the German Imperial Navy, where both enjoyed great success against Allied shipping. In June 1917, the boats were decommissioned, handed over to Austria-Hungary, and then commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy in July. The ''B'' in the designation of both boats was dropped, but the submarines retained the same numbers, becoming ''U-43'' and ''U-47'' under the Austro-Hungarian flag. At the end of the war {{SMSSMU|U-43|Austria-Hungary|2|sub=y}} and {{SMSSMU|U-47|Austria-Hungary|2|sub=y}} were ceded to Italy and France, respectively, and had been scrapped by 1920.

The '''Type ''U 66-7''-class''' was a class of five U-boats operated by the German Imperial Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during World War I. The class is alternately referred to as the '''''U-66''-class''' or the '''Type UD'''. The class was built by Germaniawerft of Kiel to their 506d design as the '''''U-7''-class''' for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The five boats were sold to the Imperial Germany Navy at the beginning of World War I when it was thought impossible for the submarines to reach the Mediterranean for delivery to Austria-Hungary. The U-boats were operated by the German Imperial Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during World War I. and were alternately referred to as the '''''U-66''-class''' or the '''Type UD'''. The Austro-Hungarian Navy, after competitively evaluating six submarines of three foreign designs, had selected the Germaniwerft 506d or Type UD design over a design from [[Whitehead & Co.]] for the ''U-7'' class. The boats, numbered ''U-7'' to ''U-11'', were designed to be {{convert|228|ft|m}} long and displace between {{convert|695|&and|885|t|ST}} when surfaced and submerged. They were to be armed with five torpedo tubes and a deck gun. For propulsion the design called for twin diesel engines for surface running and twin electric motors for subsurface movement. The Austro-Hungarian Navy ordered the boats in February 1913 and construction began on the first boats in November. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Navy became convinced that delivery of the still-unfinished submarines to the Mediterranean via Gibraltar would be impossible. As a result, they sold the five boats to the Imperial German Navy in November 1914. The German Navy assigned the numbers ''U-66'' to ''U-70'' to the five submarines and had them redesigned and reconstructed to their specifications. These changes, which included a larger deck gun, increased the displacement of the U-boats by almost {{convert|100|t|ST}} surfaced and nearly {{convert|50|t|ST}} submerged.

The '''''U-48'' class''' was a class of four U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine}} ''or'' {{lang-de|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine}}) during World War I. The design of the boats was based on plans purchased from the German firm of [[AG Weser]] in January 1916. The Navy authorized [[Cantiere Navale Triestino]] to begin construction of the submarines in Pola in September 1916. Only two of the planned four boats were [[keel laying|laid down]], but both of them were never launched or completed. Both incomplete submarines were scrapped after the war ended.

The '''''U-50'' class''' was a class of four ocean-going U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine}} ''or'' {{lang-de|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine}}) during World War I. The design of the boats was based on the Project 835 design purchased from the German firm of Germaniawerft in July 1915. The Navy authorized [[Ganz -Danubius]] to begin construction of the submarines in Fiume in February 1916. Only two of the planned four boats were laid down, but neither were ever launched or completed. The two incomplete submarines were [[ship breaking|scrapped]] after the war ended.

The '''''U-52'' class''' was a class of four ocean-going U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine}} ''or'' {{lang-de|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine}}) during World War I. The submarine design was based on the A 6 proposal submitted by [[Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino]] (STT) as part of a Navy design competition. STT, under its wartime name of Austriawerft, began construction on the first two boats in 1916, but neither boat was launched or completed before the end of the war. Both incomplete submarines were scrapped after the war ended. Neither of the third and fourth submarines was ever laid down.

The '''''U-101'' class''' was a class of nine U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine}} ''or'' {{lang-de|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine}}) during World War I. The class was based on the Type 1916 S 1 design from [[UBAG|Ungarische Unterseebotsbau AG]]. The first three boats were laid down in late 1917 and early 1918 by [[Austriawerft]] in [[Trieste]], but none were launched or completed before the end of the war. None of the other six submarines was ever laid down.

The '''''U-107'' class''' was a class of U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy ({{lang-de|Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine}} ''or'' {{lang-de|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine}}) during World War I. The design was similar to the Germaniawerft UD design which had formed the basis for the Austro-Hungarian Navy's {{sclass|U-7|submarine|1}}s. Two boats (''U-107'' and ''U-108'') were laid down in early 1918 by [[Ganz -Danubius]] in Fiume, but neither was launched or completed before the end of the war. No other submarines of the class were ever laid down.

| coauthorsauthor2 = Erwin Sieche

| title = Die Schiffe der k.(u.)k. Kriegsmarine im Bild
|trans-title= Austro-Hungarian warships in photographs

| language = Germande

| editor-last = Gardiner

| editor-first = Robert, ed.

| title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921

| coauthorsauthor2 = Maurice Prendergast <!-- not the American painter -->

| origyearorig-year = 1931

*''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One'', Originally published 1919, Republished by Random House Ltd, Great Britain: 1990. {{ISBN |1-85170-378-0}}.