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]
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| 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 |
|
| Beam |
|
| 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 |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 32 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: | 5 patrols |
| Victories: | |
Design
editType 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 |  Netherlands
|
951 | Damaged |
| 23 May 1917 | Elve | Netherlands
|
962 | Sunk |
| 26 May 1917 | Lucipara |  Russia
|
1,943 | Sunk |
| 26 May 1917 | Saint Mirren |  United Kingdom
|
1,956 | Sunk |
| 30 May 1917 | Bathurst | United Kingdom
|
2,821 | Sunk |
| 30 May 1917 | Hanley | United Kingdom
|
3,331 | Sunk |
| 2 June 1917 | Eliofilo |  Italy
|
3,583 | Sunk |
| 2 June 1917 | Mississippi |  France
|
6,687 | Damaged |
| 4 July 1917 | Loch Katrine | United Kingdom
|
151 | Sunk |
| 8 July 1917 | Valetta | United Kingdom
|
5,871 | Sunk |
| 10 July 1917 | Seang Choon | United Kingdom
|
5,807 | Sunk |
| 11 July 1917 | Kioto | United Kingdom
|
6,182 | Sunk |
| 12 July 1917 | Castleton | United Kingdom
|
2,395 | Sunk |
| 16 July 1917 | Tamele | United Kingdom
|
3,932 | Sunk |
| 19 July 1917 | Artensis |  Norway
|
1,788 | Sunk |
| 21 July 1917 | Coniston Water | United Kingdom
|
3,738 | Sunk |
| 19 August 1917 | Eika II | Norway
|
1,268 | Sunk |
| 21 August 1917 | Oslo | United Kingdom
|
2,296 | Sunk |
| 22 August 1917 | Alexander Shukoff |  Denmark
|
1,652 | Sunk |
| 27 August 1917 | Anna | Denmark
|
1,211 | Sunk |
| 27 August 1917 | Aurora | Denmark
|
768 | Sunk |
| 13 December 1917 | Little Gem | United Kingdom
|
114 | Sunk |
| 24 December 1917 | Daybreak | United Kingdom
|
3,238 | Sunk |
| 25 December 1917 | Agberi | United Kingdom
|
4,821 | Sunk |
Fate and discovery
editIn 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
editNotes
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.