SM U-69

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-69.
History
German Empire
NameU-69
Ordered2 February 1913
BuilderGermaniawerft, Kiel[1]
Yard number206[2]
Laid down7 February 1914, as U-10 (Austria-Hungary)[2]
Launched24 June 1915[2]
Commissioned4 September 1915[2]
FateMissing after 11 July 1917 (crew presumed dead)
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
  • 4 March 1916 – 23 July 1917
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Ernst Wilhelms[4]
  • 4 September 1915 – 23 July 1917
Operations: 6 patrols
Victories:
  • 29 merchant ships sunk
    (89,266 GRT)
  • 2 auxiliary warships sunk
    (13,609 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (1,648 GRT)

SM U-69 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 February 1914 as U-10 the fourth boat 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.

The submarine was ordered as U-10 from Germaniawerft of Kiel as the first of five boats of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Navy became convinced that none of the submarines of the class could be delivered to the Adriatic via Gibraltar. As a consequence, the entire class, including U-10, was sold to the German Imperial Navy in November 1914. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-10 became U-69, and all were redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. U-69 was launched in June 1915 and commissioned in September. As completed, she displaced 791 tonnes (779 long tons), surfaced, and 933 tonnes (918 long tons), submerged. The boat was 69.50 metres (228 ft) long and was armed with five torpedo tubes and a deck gun.

As a part of the 4th Flotilla, U-69 sank 31 ships with a combined gross register tonnage of 102,875 in five war patrols. U-69 left Emden on her sixth patrol on 9 July 1917 for operations off Ireland. On 11 July, U-69 reported her position off Norway but neither she nor any of her crew were ever heard from again. British records say that U-69 was sunk by destroyer HMS Patriot on 12 July, but a German postwar study cast doubt on this. U-69's fate is officially unknown.

  1. ^ Gardiner, p. 177.
  2. ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 69". 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: Ernst Wilhelms (Royal House of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 January 2015.