Type U 3 submarine
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Kaiserliche Werft Danzig |
| Operators |  Imperial German Navy |
| Preceded by | U-2 |
| Succeeded by | Type U 5 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 0 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 3.05 m (10 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Complement | 3 officers, 19 men |
| Armament |
|
Type U 3 was a class of u-boats built by the Imperial German Navy in the years before World War I. The two Type U 3 boats were ordered on 13 August 1907 and built at Kaiserliche Werft Danzig and commissioned during 1909. They had more powerful engines than the previous U-2 and were far more reliable.[2] Neither boat saw active service during World War I, with both being used as training boats.
Type U 3s had an overall length of 51.28 m (168 ft 3 in) The boats' beam was 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in), the draught was 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in). The boats displaced 421 tonnes (414 long tons) when surfaced and 510 t (500 long tons) when submerged.[3][1]
Type U 3s were fitted with two Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 600 metric horsepower (441 kW; 592 bhp) for use on the surface and two SSW double-acting electric motors with a total of 760 kW (1,033 PS; 1,019 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph), and 9.4 knots (17.4 km/h; 10.8 mph) when submerged. Cruising range was 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) on the surface and 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged.[3][1] Constructional diving depth[a] was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).[4]
The boats were armed with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern. They carried six C/06 torpedoes instead of the older C/03 torpedo. C/06 torpedoes were slightly larger than the preceding C/03, they had a more powerful propulsion unit and could be fired under an angle.[5] The boats' complement was 3 officers and 19 enlisted.[3][1] Until the end of 1914, the Type U 3 U-boats could be equipped with a rotating Hotchkiss gun, and after 1915 U-3 was occasionally equipped with an extra 5 cm SK L/40 gun.[6][3]
List of Type U 3 boats
Both boats in the class were part of the training u-boat flotilla during World War I and did not see active service. Both were surrendered after the Armistice of 11 November 1918.
| Name | Launched[7] | Commissioned[7] | Notes[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-3 | 27 March 1909 | 29 May 1909 | Sunk on 1 December 1918 whilst under tow to be broken up. |
| U-4 | 18 May 1909 | 1 July 1909 | Broken up at Kiel in 1919. |