U-10 class submarine
Encyclopedia
The U-10 class was a class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of five submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s or U-boats of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
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...
. The class was similar to the German Type UB I submarine
German type UB I submarine
The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War. Twenty boats were constructed, most of which went into service with the German Imperial Navy. Boats of this design were also operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Bulgarian...
of the German Imperial Navy ; the first two boats delivered to Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
had previously been commissioned
Ship 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...
in Kaiserliche Marine.
The U-10 class as a whole did not have much wartime success, with three of the boats sinking either one or no ships. Only one boat, sank more than of enemy ships. Of the five submarines of the class, only was sunk during the war; the remaining four were delivered as war reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
and broken up by 1920.
Background
The Austro-Hungarian NavyAustro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
's U-boat fleet at the beginning of 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...
consisted of six largely experimental submarines, two of which were not operational. and were in drydock awaiting diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s to replace their inadequate gasoline engines. See: Gardiner, pp. 340–41. The Navy did have five s under construction in Germany, but a perceived inability to sail the completed submarines past Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
led to a hasty decision to sell them to Germany,In April 1915, some five months after the sale of the U-7 boats, the German U-boat successfully sailed into the Mediterranean via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, proving that delivery of the U-7 boats to Austria-Hungary would have been possible. See: Gardiner, p. 343. a severe setback for Austria-Hungary's U-boat fleet.
In order to bolster their fleet, which had already been boosted by the recovery and commissioning
Ship 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...
of the French submarine Curie
French submarine Curie (Q 87)
SM U-14 or U-XIV was a U-boat or submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the First World War. She was launched in 1912 as the French Curie , but captured and rebuilt for service in the Austro-Hungarian Navy...
as U-14 in 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Navy purchased five German UB-type coastal submarines, which had the advantages of short construction time and the ability to be shipped by rail—which avoided the perceived pitfalls of sea delivery.The performance of the German Type UB I
German type UB I submarine
The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War. Twenty boats were constructed, most of which went into service with the German Imperial Navy. Boats of this design were also operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Bulgarian...
U-boats was well known in Austria because the Imperial German Navy submarines , , and had been shipped from Germany and assembled and launched at Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
. See Gardiner, p. 341. The first contract in February 1915 secured the purchase of and , initially commissioned as the German Type UB I
German type UB I submarine
The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War. Twenty boats were constructed, most of which went into service with the German Imperial Navy. Boats of this design were also operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Bulgarian...
U-boats UB-1 and UB-15, respectively. A further contract on 1 April 1915, purchased three more boats, , , and .
Design and construction
The U-10-class boats were small coastal submarines that displaced 125.5 long tons (127.5 t) surfaced and 140.25 long tons (142.5 t) submerged. For propulsion, they featured a single shaft, a single 60 bhp diesel engineDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
for surface running, and a single 120 shp electric motor for submerged travel. The boats were capable of 6.5 knots while surfaced and 5.5 knots while submerged at a diving depth of up to 50 metres (164 ft). All five had slightly different conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
configurations, but were all designed for a crew of 17 officers and men.
The lead boat
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the class, U-10, was built by Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, while the other four were constructed by AG Weser
AG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. All five were transported by rail in sections to Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, where they only needed riveting together to be complete, a process that typically took about two weeks.
U-10 was the first ship of the class launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
, as the German UB-1 on 22 January 1915. The other four boats were launched by April. UB-1 and UB-15 were initially commissioned into 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...
in January and April, respectively, each with German commanders and crew, but with an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer for piloting and training purposes, but both were commissioned into the K.u.K. Kriegsmarine
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
with Austro-Hungarian crews by July. The other three ships were never manned by German crews and had all been commissioned by early October when each is listed in sources with a commanding officer.
Armament
The U-10 class boats were equipped with two 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes located in the front and carried a complement of two torpedoes. The German Type UB I submarines were additionally equipped with a 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gunMachine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, but it is not clear from sources if U-10 and U-11, the former German boats, were either equipped with them or, if so, retained them in Austro-Hungarian service. In October 1916, all the boats except U-11 received 37 mm/23 (1.5 in) quick-firing
Quick-firing gun
A quick-firing gun is an artillery piece, typically a gun or howitzer, which has several characteristics which taken together mean the weapon can fire at a fast rate...
(QF) guns. U-11 received a 66 mm/18 (2.6 in) gun originally planned for U-14 (which received a larger gun instead). In November 1917, the 37 mm guns were replaced by 47 mm/23 (1.9 in) QF guns.
War activities
All five boats of the U-10 class took part in the war, but, as a class, had limited success. Although UB-1 and UB-15 had each had sunk a single ship while commissioned in the German Imperial Navy during 1915, neither boat sank any ships in Austro-Hungarian service. U-17 torpedoed a single ship, the Italian destroyerDestroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Impetuoso, which sank on 10 July 1916. U-16 sank two small sailing ships in late 1915 and torpedoed and sank the Italian destroyer Nembo on 16 October 1916. U-15 was the most successful of the class, sinking six ships for a total of . On a single day, 25 June 1916, U-15 sank the Italian auxiliary cruiser and the French destroyer Fourche in the Strait of Otranto
Strait of Otranto
The Strait of Otranto connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The strait is named after the Italian city of Otranto.- History :...
, accounting for almost half of her wartime successes.
Of the five boats, only U-16 was sunk during the war, shortly after sinking Nembo. The only other casualty among the class involved U-10, which hit a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
near Caorle
Caorle
Caorle is a coastal town in the province of Venice, Veneto, Italy, located between the estuaries of the Livenza and Lemene rivers. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea between two other famous touristic towns, Eraclea and Bibione.-History:...
and was beached with heavy damage. Although she was looted by Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
troops, she was later towed to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
for repairs which remained incomplete at the war's end. After the end of fighting in November 1918, the four surviving class members—U-10, U-11, U-15, and U-17—were all turned over to Italy as war reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
and scrapped at Pola by 1920.
SM U-10
SM U-10 was the lead boatLead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the U-10 class of submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, but was originally named UB-1 as a part of the German Imperial Navy. She was laid down on 1 November 1914 in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled and launched on 22 January 1915. Commissioned one week later as SM UB-1, she sank one Italian torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
in her German service. In July, she was handed over to the Austro-Hungarian Navy and commissioned as SM U-10. She was the target of an unsuccessful torpedo attack by a British submarine in May 1917. In July 1918, U-10 hit a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
and was beached with heavy damage. She was towed to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
for repairs which remained unfinished at the war's end. She was handed over to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.
SM U-11
SM U-11 was also originally a part of the German Imperial Navy, under the name UB-15. She was laid down on 9 November 1914 in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled, launched, and commissioned as SM UB-15 on 11 April 1915. In her only wartime success, she sank an Italian submarine in German service in early June. Shortly thereafter, she was delivered to the Austro-Hungarian Navy and commissioned as SM U-11 on 14 June. In early 1916, U-11 made a torpedo attack on a British submarine but missed. She was delivered to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.SM U-15
SM U-15 was constructed in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled and launched in September 1915 and commissioned on 6 October. U-15 was the most successful boat of the U-10 class, sinking six ships totaling more than . She survived the war and was ceded to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.SM U-16
SM U-16 was constructed in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled and launched on 26 April 1915 and commissioned on 6 October. U-16 sank one ship in November 1915 and seized another in December. While operating in the Adriatic off the coast of AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
in mid-October 1916, U-16 sank an Italian destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
acting as a convoy escort. U-16 was sunk in the ensuing action, but sources are not clear on the exact cause of her sinking.
SM U-17
SM U-17 was constructed in Germany and shipped by rail to Pola where she was assembled and launched on 21 April 1915 and commissioned on 6 October. U-17 sank an Italian destroyerDestroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in July 1916 as part of an effort to disrupt the Otranto Barrage
Otranto Barrage
The Otranto Barrage was an Allied naval blockade of the Otranto Straits between Brindisi in Italy and Corfu on the Albanian side of the Adriatic Sea in World War I. The blockade was intended to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Navy from escaping into the Mediterranean and threatening Allied operations...
but sank no other ships during the war. The boat survived the war and was delivered to Italy as a war reparation and scrapped in 1920.