Type U 17 submarine
German pre-World War I submarine class
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Type U 17 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. As from 1908 the Germans were considering U-boats with diesel engines, but pending the development of a sufficient lightweight diesel engine, paraffin engines were used. Type 17 was a design for two diesel engines but when the U-boats were ordered in 1910, the diesel engines were not yet available and instead four paraffin engines were installed.[1]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | U 16 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 19 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| 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 |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 25 men |
| Armament |
|
Design
Type U 17s had an overall length of 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) The boats' beam was 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in), the draught was 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in), with a total height of 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in). The boats displaced 564 tonnes (555 long tons) when surfaced and 691 t (680 long tons) when submerged.[2]
Type U 17s were fitted with four Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 1,400 metric horsepower (1,030 kW; 1,381 bhp) for use on the surface and two AEG double-acting electric motors with a total of 820 kW (1,115 PS; 1,100 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph), and 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) when submerged.[2] Electrical engines were usually left open without protection against drip or bilge water to save weight, but Type 17 U-boats were the first U-boats to have fully encased electrical engines.[3] Cruising range was 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) on the surface and 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[2] Constructional diving depth[a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).[4]
The U-boats were armed with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 25 enlisted.[2]