SM U-117

SM U-117 at Cape Charles
History
German Empire
Name	U-117
Builder	AG Vulcan Stettin
Yard number	91
Laid down	1917
Launched	10 December 1917
Commissioned	28 March 1918
Homeport	Kiel
Fate	Surrendered, 21 November 1918 Taken over by the US Navy, 1919
United States
Name	U-117
Acquired	March 1919
Fate	Sunk as a target, 22 June 1921
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Type UE II submarine
Type	Coastal minelaying submarine
Displacement	1,164 t (1,146 long tons) surfaced 1,512 t (1,488 long tons) submerged
Length	81.52 m (267 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam	7.42 m (24 ft 4 in)
Height	10.16 m (33 ft 4 in)
Draught	4.22 m (13 ft 10 in)
Installed power	2 × diesel engines, 2,400 PS (1,765 kW; 2,367 shp) 2 × electric motors, 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp)
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 × 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) propellers
Speed	14.7 knots (27.2 km/h; 16.9 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range	13,900 nmi (25,700 km; 16,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 35 nmi (65 km; 40 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged
Test depth	75 m (246 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 36 enlisted
Armament	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) bow torpedo tubes 14 torpedoes 2 × 100 cm (39 in) stern mine chutes 42 mines 1 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 deck gun 494 rounds 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun 310 rounds
Service record
Commanders:	Kptlt. Otto Dröscher 28 March – 11 November 1918
Operations:	1 patrol
Victories:	20 merchant ships sunk (27,459 GRT) 3 merchant ships damaged (12,845 GRT) 1 warship damaged (18,000 tons)

SM U-117 was a Type UE II long-range minelayer submarine of the Imperial German Navy. She was laid down in 1917, at Hamburg, Germany, by Aktiengesellschaft Vulcan and launched on 10 December 1917. She was commissioned in the Imperial German Navy on 28 March 1918, with Kapitänleutnant Otto Dröscher in command. After shakedown, U-117 was posted to the U-Kreuzer Verband (submarine cruiser unit) on 1 June 1918. Over the next five weeks, she completed fitting out at Kiel.