SM U-102

SM U-102 or SM Unterseeboot 102 was a German Type U 57 submarine used by the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-102 was launched on 12 May 1917. She was commissioned to the Imperial Navy on 18 June 1917.[2]

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-102.

History
German Empire
Name: U-102
Ordered: 15 September 1915
Builder: AG Weser, Bremen
Laid down: 12 August 1916
Launched: 12 May 1917
Commissioned: 18 June 1917
Fate: Sunk by mine, 30 September 1918
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: German Type U 57 submarine
Displacement:
  • 750 t (740 long tons) surfaced
  • 952 t (937 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) (o/a)
  • 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Height: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught: 3.65 m (12 ft)
Installed power:
  • 2 × 2,400 PS (1,765 kW; 2,367 shp) surfaced
  • 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion: 2 shafts, 2 × 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers
Speed:
  • 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced
  • 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 10,100 nmi (18,700 km; 11,600 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth: 50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement: 4 officers, 32 enlisted
Armament:
Service record
Part of:
  • II Flotilla
  • 5 August 1917 – 30 September 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Ernst Killmann
  • (5 August 1917 – 25 November 1917)
  • Kptlt. Curt Beitzen
  • (26 November 1917 – 30 September 1918)
Operations: 7 patrols
Victories:
  • 5 merchant ships sunk (9,340 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged (10,757 GRT)

Service history

Serving with II Flotilla the U-boat carried out seven war patrols and sank four ships for a total of 9,140 gross register tons (GRT), and damaged another of 10,757 GRT tons (Virginian).[2]

About 28 to 30 September 1918 U-102 struck a mine in the North Sea Mine Barrage, east of the Orkney Islands while on her way to home. All of her 42 crew members' lives were claimed by the U-boat's sinking. The wreck of U-102 was located by a sonar sweep in 2006. Information to confirm the identification was obtained by divers in 2007.[2]

Summary of raiding history
Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[3]
21 August 1917 RMS Virginian  Royal Navy 10,757 Damaged
8 December 1917 Lucien  France 200 Sunk
13 December 1917 Noviembre  Spain 3,500 Sunk
21 February 1918 Cheviot Range  United Kingdom 3,691 Sunk
3 March 1918 Romeo  United Kingdom 1,730 Sunk
24 June 1918 Caroline  Denmark 219 Sunk

See also

References

Notes
  1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations
  1. Gröner 1991, pp. 12–14.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 102". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 102". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

Bibliography
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
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