SM U-87
History | |
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Name | U-87 |
Ordered | 23 June 1915 |
Builder | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
Yard number | 31 |
Laid down | 28 October 1915 |
Launched | 22 May 1916 |
Commissioned | 26 February 1917 |
Fate | Sunk 25 December 1917 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Type U 87 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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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 |
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Range |
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Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
Complement | 4 officers, 32 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Commanders: | |
Operations: | 5 patrols |
Victories: |
SM U-87[Note 1] was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in World War I. U-87 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.[4] She sank some 22 merchant vessels before 25 December 1917, when HMS Buttercup rammed U-87 in the Irish Sea and depth-charged her. Then the P-class sloop P.56 sank her. U-87's entire crew of 44 were lost.[4]
Design
[edit]Type U 87 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 81 submarines. The first of its type, U-87 had a displacement of 757 tonnes (745 long tons) when at the surface and 998 tonnes (982 long tons) while submerged.[1] She had a total length of 65.80 m (215 ft 11 in), a pressure hull length of 50.07 m (164 ft 3 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in), and a draught of 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in). The submarine was powered by two 2,400 metric horsepower (1,800 kW; 2,400 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 1,200 metric horsepower (880 kW; 1,200 shp) engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts. She was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft).[1]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph).[1] When submerged, she could operate for 56 nautical miles (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 11,380 nautical miles (21,080 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-87 was fitted with four 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (two at the bow and two at the stern), ten to twelve torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun, and one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun. She had a complement of thirty-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers).[1]
Summary of raiding history
[edit]Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
23 May 1917 | Bernisse | ![]() | 951 | Damaged |
23 May 1917 | Elve | ![]() | 962 | Sunk |
26 May 1917 | Lucipara | ![]() | 1,943 | Sunk |
26 May 1917 | Saint Mirren | ![]() | 1,956 | Sunk |
30 May 1917 | Bathurst | ![]() | 2,821 | Sunk |
30 May 1917 | Hanley | ![]() | 3,331 | Sunk |
2 June 1917 | Eliofilo | ![]() | 3,583 | Sunk |
2 June 1917 | Mississippi | ![]() | 6,687 | Damaged |
4 July 1917 | Loch Katrine | ![]() | 151 | Sunk |
8 July 1917 | Valetta | ![]() | 5,871 | Sunk |
10 July 1917 | Seang Choon | ![]() | 5,807 | Sunk |
11 July 1917 | Kioto | ![]() | 6,182 | Sunk |
12 July 1917 | Castleton | ![]() | 2,395 | Sunk |
16 July 1917 | Tamele | ![]() | 3,932 | Sunk |
19 July 1917 | Artensis | ![]() | 1,788 | Sunk |
21 July 1917 | Coniston Water | ![]() | 3,738 | Sunk |
19 August 1917 | Eika II | ![]() | 1,268 | Sunk |
21 August 1917 | Oslo | ![]() | 2,296 | Sunk |
22 August 1917 | Alexander Shukoff | ![]() | 1,652 | Sunk |
27 August 1917 | Anna | ![]() | 1,211 | Sunk |
27 August 1917 | Aurora | ![]() | 768 | Sunk |
13 December 1917 | Little Gem | ![]() | 114 | Sunk |
24 December 1917 | Daybreak | ![]() | 3,238 | Sunk |
25 December 1917 | Agberi | ![]() | 4,821 | Sunk |
Fate and discovery
[edit]In August 2017, researchers from Bangor University in Wales announced they had discovered the sunken wreck of U-87 while conducting multibeam surveys 10 miles northwest of Bardsey Island as part of the marine renewable energy SEACAMS 2 project.[6][7] Detailed sonar images reveal the wreck to be lying in one piece with what appears to be a large area of damage near the conning tower, presumably caused by in the ramming collision by escort P.56.
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 12–14.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Rudolf Schneider (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Freiherr Rudolf von Speth-Schülzburg". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U U87". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 87". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "RCAHMW | New Imaging Techniques Capture Forgotten U-boat".
- ^ "WW1 shipwrecks pictured by sonar off Welsh coast". BBC News. 7 October 2018.
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.