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German Type U 31 submarine
Class overview
Builders: Germaniawerft, Kiel
Operators: War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918 Kaiserliche Marine
Preceded by: Type U 27
Succeeded by: Type U 43
In commission: 3 September 1914
Completed: 11
Lost: 7[1]
General characteristics
Displacement: 685 tonnes (674 long tons) (surfaced)
878 tonnes (864 long tons) (submerged)[2]
971 tons (total)
Length: 64.4 m (211 ft) (overall)[2]
52.36 m (pressure hull)
Beam: 6.32 m (20.7 ft) (overall)[2]
4.05 m (pressure hull)
Draught: 3.56 m (11.7 ft)[2]
Propulsion: 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) (surfaced)
880 kilowatts (1,180 hp) (submerged)[2]
Speed: 16.7 knots (30.9 km/h; 19.2 mph) (surfaced)
9.8 knots (18.1 km/h; 11.3 mph) (submerged)[2]
Range: 8,790 nautical miles (16,280 km; 10,120 mi) @ 8 kn (surfaced) 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) @ 5 kn(submerged)[2]
Complement: 35 men[2]
Armament: four 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern, 6 torpedoes
one or two 7.5 cm (3.0 in) – 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) deck guns[2]

U 31 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.

U 31 U-boats carried 6 torpedoes and were originally armed with one 8.8 centimetres (3.5 in) deck gun, which was replaced in 1916/17 by a 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) deck gun. They carried a crew of 35 and had a cruising range of around 8,790 nautical miles (16,280 km; 10,120 mi).

Between 1912 and 1915 11 were built on Germaniawerft in Kiel, amongst these top-three-scoring U-35 with the famous Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière as commander, U-39 with Walter Forstmann and U-38 with Max Valentiner. Together these U-boats sunk more than 1,244,204 gross register tons (GRT).

Later Admiral and head of the Abwehr from 1935 to 1944 Wilhelm Canaris also served as commander on two different U 31 U-boats. He first took over from Max Valentiner on U-38 and later on U-34.

List of Type U 31 submarines[]

There were eleven Type U 31 submarines commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine.

Boat Armament Fate
U-31 one 8.8 cm gun lost in January 1915 in the North Sea[2]
U-32 two 8.8 cm guns, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun sunk 5 May 1918 north-west of Malta[2]
U-33 one 8.8 cm gun, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun surrendered 1919, scrapped[2]
U-34 one 8.8 cm gun, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun sunk October 1918 in the Mediterranean Sea[2]
U-35 one 7.5 cm gun (1914), one 10.5 cm gun (1916) surrendered 1918, scrapped[2]
U-36 two 8.8 cm guns, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun sunk 24 July 1915 west of Rona, Hebrides[2]
U-37 two 8.8 cm guns, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun sunk by mine in April 1915 in the English Channel[2]
U-38 one 8.8 cm gun, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun surrendered 1919, scrapped[2]
U-39 one 8.8 cm gun, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun, from 1916/17 one 10.5 cm gun sunk 18 May 1918 off El Ferrol[2]
SM U-40 (Germany) one 8.8 cm gun sunk 23 June 1915 in the North Sea[2]
SM U-41 (Germany) one 8.8 cm gun sunk 24 September 1915 in the English Channel[2]

External links[]

References[]

  1. Uboat.net
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 Encyclopedia of U-boats (2004), London:Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-623-3, p.33



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