SM U-10 (Germany)

U-10
History
German Empire
NameU-10
Ordered15 July 1908
BuilderKaiserliche Werft Danzig
Cost2,140,000 Goldmark
Yard number5
Launched24 January 1911
Commissioned31 August 1911
FateMissing in the Baltic Sea since June 1916
General characteristics [1]
Class & typeType U 9 submarine
Displacement
  • 493 t (485 long tons) surfaced
  • 611 t (601 long tons) submerged
Length57.38 m (188 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Draught3.13 m (10 ft 3 in)
Installed power
  • 2 × Körting 6-cylinder and 2 × Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 900 PS (660 kW; 890 shp)
  • 2 × SSW electric motors with 1,040 PS (760 kW; 1,030 shp)
  • 550 rpm surfaced
  • 600 rpm submerged
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) propellers
Speed
  • 14.2 knots (26.3 km/h; 16.3 mph) surfaced
  • 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph) submerged
Range3,250 nmi (6,020 km; 3,740 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Boats & landing
craft carried
1 dinghy
Complement4 officers, 25 men
Armament
Service record
Part of
  • I Flotilla
  • 1 August 1914 – 7 July 1915
  • Baltic Flotilla
  • 7 July 1915 – 1 June 1916
Commanders
  • Kptlt. Fritz Stuhr[2]
  • 1 August 1914 – 1 June 1916
Operations6 patrols
Victories7 merchant ships sunk
(1,651 GRT)

SM U-10[a] was one of 329 submarines which served in the Imperial German Navy during World War I. The boat was one of four Type U 9 submarines which were built for the Navy. It sunk seven ships during the war before being lost in the Baltic Sea in 1916.

Service history

U-10 was built at Kaiserliche Werft Danzig between 1908 and 1911. It was launched on 24 January 1911 and commissioned in August of the same year. At the start of World War I the boat was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Fritz Stuhr.

Stuhr commanded U-10 throughout its career, sinking six ships in the North Sea during 1915. The boat later moved to the Baltic Sea where it sank one more ship, the Finnish steamer Birgit in November 1915.

On 27 May 1916 U-10 left Libau (now Liepāja) in Latvia to operate off the Swedish coast on a patrol scheduled to last eight days. She was not heard from again and was presumed lost with all 29 on board. The exact time, place and circumstances of her loss remain unknown.

Summary of raiding history

U-10 sank seven merchant ships. The combined tonnage of the vessels was 1,651 GRT.

Date Ship name Nationality Tonnage[b] Fate[3]
31 March 1915 Nor Norway 544 Sunk
1 April 1915 Gloxinia United Kingdom 145 Sunk
1 April 1915 Jason United Kingdom 176 Sunk
1 April 1915 Nellie United Kingdom 109 Sunk
5 April 1915 Acantha United Kingdom 322 Sunk
28 April 1915 Lilydale United Kingdom 129 Sunk
6 November 1915 Birgit Finland 226 Sunk

Notes

  1. ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons.

References

  1. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 4–6.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Fritz Stuhr". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 10". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

Bibliography

  • 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.
  • Rössler, Eberhard (1985). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkriegs, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935–1945 [The German Submarines and Their Shipyards: Submarine Construction Until the End of the First World War] (in German). Vol. I. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 10". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.

59°30′N 21°00′E / 59.500°N 21.000°E / 59.500; 21.000