SM U-68

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-68.
History
German Empire
NameU-68
Ordered2 February 1913
BuilderGermaniawerft, Kiel[1]
Yard number205[2]
Laid down31 December 1913, as U-9 (Austria-Hungary)[2]
Launched1 June 1915[2]
Commissioned17 August 1915[2]
Fate22 March 1916 – Sunk by gunfire from Q-Ship Farnborough SW Ireland 51°54′N 10°53′W / 51.900°N 10.883°W / 51.900; -10.883. 38 dead (all hands lost).
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType U 66 submarine
Displacement
  • 791 t (779 long tons) surfaced
  • 933 t (918 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) (o/a)
  • 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) (pressure hull)
Height7.95 m (26 ft 1 in)
Draft3.79 m (12 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) surfaced
  • 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h; 11.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 7,370 nmi (13,650 km; 8,480 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 115 nmi (213 km; 132 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement4 officers, 32 enlisted men
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • IV Flotilla
  • 28 November 1915 – 22 March 1916
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Ludwig Güntzel[4]
  • 17 August 1915 – 22 March 1916
Operations: 1 patrol
Victories: None

SM U-68 was a Type U 66 submarine or U-boat for the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during the First World War. She had been laid down in December 1913 as U-9 of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u. K. Kriegsmarine) but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her class, in November 1914. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-9 became U-68, and was redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. She was launched in June 1915 and commissioned in August.

Six days into her first war patrol, on 22 March 1916, U-68 was sunk by Farnborough, a British Q-ship, with all hands. U-68 sank no ships in her brief career. A post-war German study found fault with U-68's captain for not following established procedures for avoiding decoy ships.

  1. ^ Gardiner, p. 177.
  2. ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 68". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  3. ^ Gröner 1991, p. 10.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ludwig Güntzel". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 16 March 2015.