SM U-13
SM U-13 in the Harbour of Kiel (first boat left) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Germany | |
| Name | U-13 |
| Ordered | 23 February 1909 |
| Builder | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Cost | 2,101,070 Goldmark |
| Yard number | 8 |
| Laid down | 1908 |
| Launched | 16 December 1910 |
| Commissioned | 25 April 1912 |
| Fate | Sunk in the North Sea at an unknown time and location between 6 August and 12 August 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type U 13 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 57.88 m (189 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 3.44 m (11 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range | 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 14 kn |
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 dinghy |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament | 4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) with 6 torpedoes |
| Service record | |
| Part of |
|
| Commanders |
|
| Operations | 1 patrol |
| Victories | None |
SM U-13[a] was one of 329 U-boats which served in the Imperial German Navy during World War I.
The first of three submarines of the gasoline powered Type U 13 class, the boat was ordered in February 1909 and built at Kaiserliche Werft Danzig. It was launched in December 1910 and commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 25 April 1912.[1]
At the start of World War I U-13 was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Hans Arthur Graf von Schweinitz und Krain, a career officer who had joined the Navy in 1902.[2] The boat left port at Heligoland in early August 1914 as part of a coordinated attack by U-boats on the British naval base at Scapa Flow. The boat was not heard from again. She is recorded as having been lost between 6 and 12 August,[1] and may have been a victim of the German defensive minefield in the Heligoland Bight, or been sunk due to an accident or mechanical failure. All of the crew were lost.
Notes
- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
References
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 13". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Han Artur Graf von Schweinitz und Krain". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
Bibliography
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-boats destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-85409-321-5.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 13". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 March 2015.