| German Type U 31 submarine | |
|---|---|
| Class overview | |
| Builders: | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Operators: |
 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[]
- "uboat.net". WWI U-boat Types. http://www.uboat.net/wwi/types/index.html?type=U+31. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
References[]
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The original article can be found at German Type U 31 submarine and the edit history here.