SM U-17 (Germany)
SM U-17[Note 1] was a German submarine during World War I. U-17 sank the first British merchant vessel in the First World War, and also sank another nine ships and captured one ship, surviving the war without casualty.
 U-17 (second row, second from the right), Kiel Harbour, February 1914 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Germany | |
| Name: | U-17 |
| Ordered: | 10 May 1910 |
| Builder: | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Cost: | 2,333,000 Goldmark |
| Yard number: | 11 |
| Laid down: | 1 October 1910 |
| Launched: | 16 April 1912 |
| Commissioned: | 3 November 1912 |
| Stricken: | 27 January 1919 |
| Fate: | Struck 27 January 1919, scrapped at Imperial Dockyard, Kiel. Pressure hull sold to Stinnes, Hamburg on 3 February 1920. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | German Type U 17 submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) |
| Beam: | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Height: | 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Test depth: | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | 1 dingi |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament: |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Commanders: | |
| Operations: | 4 patrols |
| Victories: | |
War service
Oberleutnant z.S. Feldkirchener
On 1 August 1914, Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Feldkirchener was given command of U-17.[3] On 20 October, U-17 stopped the 866 ton SS Glitra off the Norwegian coast, and having searched her cargo, ordered the crew to the lifeboats before scuttling the vessel. On 26 October, U-17 torpedoed the French ferry SS Amiral Ganteaume† in the Strait of Dover. The vessel made port before sinking, with the loss of 40 lives out of over 2,500 on board.[4]
† - www.uboat.net credits the damage to the French steamer Amiral Ganteaume to U-24.
On 2 March 1915 the command of U-17 passed to Kapitänleutnant Hans Walther. On 12 June 1915, U-17 chased and torpedoed the SS Desabla off the coast of Scotland. The crew escaped on lifeboats while the vessel was scuttled and sunk. Walther's command ended on 9 January 1916 and the next day U-17 joined the Training Flotilla.[3]
Post war
U-17 was decommissioned on 27 January 1919 and sold for scrapping.
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 1914 | Glitra |  United Kingdom |
866 | Sunk |
| 26 October 1914 | Amiral Ganteaume |  France |
4,590 | Damaged |
| 12 June 1915 | Cocos |  Denmark |
85 | Sunk |
| 12 June 1915 | Desabla | United Kingdom |
6,047 | Sunk |
| 18 June 1915 | Ailsa | United Kingdom |
876 | Sunk |
| 8 August 1915 | Glenravel | United Kingdom |
1,092 | Sunk |
| 8 August 1915 | Malmland |  Sweden |
3,676 | Sunk |
| 10 August 1915 | Utopia | United Kingdom |
155 | Sunk |
| 14 August 1915 | Gloria | United Kingdom |
130 | Sunk |
| 15 August 1915 | Götaland | Sweden |
3,538 | Captured as prize |
| 15 August 1915 | Marie | Denmark |
158 | Sunk |
| 16 August 1915 | Romulus |  Norway |
819 | Sunk |
| 16 August 1915 | Tello | Norway |
1,218 | Sunk |
| 24 October 1915 | Rumina | Sweden |
1,418 | Captured as prize |
References
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.
- Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johannes Feldkirchener". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Walther (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- "U-Boat warfare at the Atlantic in WW1". German Notes. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
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.
- Spindler, Arno (1966) [1932]. Der Handelskrieg mit U-Booten. 5 Vols. Berlin: Mittler & Sohn. Vols. 4+5, dealing with 1917+18, are very hard to find: Guildhall Library, London, has them all, also Vol. 1-3 in an English translation: The submarine war against commerce.
- Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918. London: H Hamilton. ISBN 978-0-241-10864-2.
- Halpern, Paul G. (1917). A Naval History of World War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85728-498-0.
- Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-5963-7.
- Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 978-3-7637-6235-4.
- Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol I., The Fleet in Action. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-76-3.
- Koerver, Hans Joachim (2009). Room 40: German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. Vol II., The Fleet in Being. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN 978-3-902433-77-0.
External links
- Photo of U-17.
- Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918. Great photo quality, comments in German.
- A 44 min. film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35. A German propaganda film without dead or wounded; many details about submarine warfare in World War I.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
- Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40 Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.
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