German Type U 139 submarine
Encyclopedia
U-139, originally designated "Project 46", was a class of large, long-range U-boat
s built during World War I
by the Kaiserliche Marine
.
es and two 15 cm deck guns, and had a cruising range of around 12000 miles (19,312.1 km). They carried a large enough complement to furnish captured vessels with prize crews and their intended purpose was to capture or destroy merchantmen on the surface; their large-calibre deck guns and comparatively high speed allowed them to engage even armed merchant vessels.
Unlike the earlier Type U-151
submarines, the Type 139 was designed from the outset for war service. Four bow and two stern torpedo tubes were fitted, but the main armament was the two 15 cm deck guns, which could be laid by a rangefinder on the aft section of the bridge. The conning tower's command centre was protected by 90mm armour against the guns typically carried by enemy merchant ships, while the pressure hull was thicker than usual at 25mm, so as to increase diving depth. The superstructure was also raised by 2m so that a shell hitting it would not penetrate the pressure hull.
A Type 139 U-boat cost 8.7 million Marks
at the time, the 150 mm guns accounting for around 7% of the cost. Three submarines of this type, U-139
, U-140
, and U-141
, were ordered.
The later "Project 46(a)" specified even more powerful U-cruisers, of a similar displacement to the Type 139 boats, but with an increased surface speed of 18 knots (9.8 m/s), and with two 88mm deck guns in addition to the two 150mm guns.
An even larger U-cruiser was proposed under "Project 47", but never reached construction; it would have displaced 2,500 tons, had a top speed of 21 knots (11.4 m/s), and been armed with four 150mm guns as well as 6 torpedo tubes, 2 of which would have fired to the side.
The famous Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière commanded U-139, the first of the class, and named the submarine Korvettenkapitän Schweiger, after Walther Schwieger
, who had sunk the RMS Lusitania
in 1915. Under von Arnauld, U-139 sank 5 small ships from May 1918, and sank the last ship to fall to a U-boat in World War I on 1 October 1918.
into the Kaiserliche Marine.
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s built during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
by the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
.
Description
Three large U-cruisers, designated Type 139, were ordered from Germaniawerft, Kiel, in August 1916. Displacing nearly 2,000 tons, and with a surface speed of 15 knots (8.2 m/s), they were armed with 24 torpedoTorpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es and two 15 cm deck guns, and had a cruising range of around 12000 miles (19,312.1 km). They carried a large enough complement to furnish captured vessels with prize crews and their intended purpose was to capture or destroy merchantmen on the surface; their large-calibre deck guns and comparatively high speed allowed them to engage even armed merchant vessels.
Unlike the earlier Type U-151
German Type U 151 submarine
Type U 151 U-boats were a class of large, long-range submarines constructed during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.-Background:In addition to the cargo-carrying submarine Deutschland, six further large cargo submarines were ordered, originally designed to ship material to and from locations...
submarines, the Type 139 was designed from the outset for war service. Four bow and two stern torpedo tubes were fitted, but the main armament was the two 15 cm deck guns, which could be laid by a rangefinder on the aft section of the bridge. The conning tower's command centre was protected by 90mm armour against the guns typically carried by enemy merchant ships, while the pressure hull was thicker than usual at 25mm, so as to increase diving depth. The superstructure was also raised by 2m so that a shell hitting it would not penetrate the pressure hull.
A Type 139 U-boat cost 8.7 million Marks
German papiermark
The name Papiermark is applied to the German currency from the 4th August 1914 when the link between the Mark and gold was abandoned, due to the outbreak of World War I...
at the time, the 150 mm guns accounting for around 7% of the cost. Three submarines of this type, U-139
SM U-139
SM U-139 was the lead ship of her class, one of the submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was commissioned on 18 May 1918 under the command of Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who named the submarine Korvettenkapitän Schweiger, after Walther Schwieger, who had sunk...
, U-140
SM U-140
SM U-140 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-140 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.-References:...
, and U-141
SM U-141
SM U-141 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-141 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic....
, were ordered.
The later "Project 46(a)" specified even more powerful U-cruisers, of a similar displacement to the Type 139 boats, but with an increased surface speed of 18 knots (9.8 m/s), and with two 88mm deck guns in addition to the two 150mm guns.
An even larger U-cruiser was proposed under "Project 47", but never reached construction; it would have displaced 2,500 tons, had a top speed of 21 knots (11.4 m/s), and been armed with four 150mm guns as well as 6 torpedo tubes, 2 of which would have fired to the side.
Service
The Type 139 submarines were dispatched on long-range missions, south across the Equator, and to the west across the Atlantic, operating independently.The famous Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière commanded U-139, the first of the class, and named the submarine Korvettenkapitän Schweiger, after Walther Schwieger
Walther Schwieger
Lieutenant Walther Schwieger was a German U-boat commander during the First World War, noted for his role in the sinking of the Lusitania....
, who had sunk the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
in 1915. Under von Arnauld, U-139 sank 5 small ships from May 1918, and sank the last ship to fall to a U-boat in World War I on 1 October 1918.
List of Type U 139 submarines
Three Type U 139 submarines were built, all of which were commissionedShip commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
into the Kaiserliche Marine.
- SM U-139SM U-139SM U-139 was the lead ship of her class, one of the submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was commissioned on 18 May 1918 under the command of Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who named the submarine Korvettenkapitän Schweiger, after Walther Schwieger, who had sunk...
(Korvettenkapitän Schweiger) - SM U-140SM U-140SM U-140 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-140 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.-References:...
(Kapitän Weddigen) - SM U-141SM U-141SM U-141 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-141 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic....