SM U-27 (Austria-Hungary) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

SM U-27 or U-XXVII was the lead boat of the U-27 class

U-27 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)

The U-27 class was a class of eight submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I. The class was based upon the German Type UB II design of the German Imperial Navy and was constructed under license in Austria-Hungary.After the Austro-Hungarian Navy...

of U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s or 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 for 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....

. U-27 was built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard and launched on 19 October 1916. She was commissioned on 24 February 1917.

She had a single hull

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

and was just over 121 feet (36.9 m) in length. She displaced

Displacement (ship)

A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

nearly 265 metric tons (261 LT) when surfaced and over 300 metric tons (295 LT) when submerged. Her two 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 moved her at up to 9 knots on the surface, while her twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s propeller her at up to 7.5 knots while underwater. She was armed with two bow torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s and could carry a load of up to four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm (3 in) deck gun

Deck gun

A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...

and a machine gun

Machine 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....

.

During her service career, U-27 sank the British destroyer , damaged the Japanese destroyer , and sank or captured 34 other ships totaling . U-27 was surrendered 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,...

at war's end and handed over to Italy as a war reparation in 1919. She was broken up the following year. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921 calls U-27 Austria-Hungary's "most successful submarine".

Design and construction

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...

's U-boat fleet was largely obsolete at the outbreak 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...

. 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....

satisfied its most urgent needs by purchasing five 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...

submarines that comprised the from Germany, by raising and recommissioning the sunken 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 ,Curie

French submarine Curie (Q 87)

had been caught in an anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

An anti-submarine net is a device placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines.-Examples of anti-submarine nets:*Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom*Indicator net*Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign...

while trying to enter the harbor at Pola

Pula

on 20 December 1914. See: Gardiner, p. 343. and by building four submarines of the that were based on the 1911 Danish Havmanden class

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

The Havmanden class was a class of six submarines built for the Royal Danish Navy from 1911 to 1914. Also later known as the A class, the boats were designed by the Austro-Hungarian firm Whitehead & Co. of Fiume...

.The plans for the Danish Havmanden class submarines

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

, three of which were built in Austria-Hungary, were seized from Whitehead & Co. in Fiume. See: Gardiner, pp. 344, 354.

After these steps alleviated their most urgent needs, the Austro-Hungarian Navy selected the German Type UB II

German type UB II submarine

The UB II type submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. They were enlarged from the preceding type UB I and were more effective vessels. The boats were a single hull design with a 50 metre maximum diving depth and a 30-45 second diving time...

design for its newest submarines in mid 1915. The Germans were reluctant to allocate any of their wartime resources to Austro-Hungarian construction, but were willing to sell plans for up to six of the UB II boats to be constructed under license in Austria-Hungary. The Navy agreed to the proposal and purchased the plans from 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...

.

U-27 displaced 264 metric tons (259.8 LT) surfaced and 301 metric tons (296.2 LT) submerged. She had a single hull

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

with saddle tank

Saddle tank (submarine)

Saddle tanks are a type of ballast tank configuration fitted to mid-era submarines, those of World War II.Saddle tanks are fitted in pairs external to the pressure hull, one on each side, in a similar manner to that of a horse's saddle-bags, the positioning of which they resemble in appearance.-...

s, and was 121 in 1 in (36.91 m) long with a beam

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

of 14 in 4 in (4.37 m) and a draft

Draft (hull)

The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...

of 12 in 2 in (3.71 m). For propulsion, she had two shafts, twin 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 of 270 bhp for surface running, and twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s of 280 shp for submerged travel. She was capable of 9 knots while surfaced and 7.5 knots while submerged. Although there is no specific notation of a range for U-27, the German UB II boats, upon which the U-27 class was based, had a range of over 6000 nautical miles (11,112 km) at 5 knots surfaced, and 45 nautical miles (83.3 km) at 4 knots submerged. U-27 class boats were designed for a crew of 23–24.

U-27 was armed with two 45 cm (17.7 in) bow torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s and carried a complement of four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm/26 (3.0 in) deck gun

Deck gun

and an 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gun

Machine gun

.

After intricate political negotiations to allocate production of the class between Austrian and Hungarian firms, U-27 was ordered from Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) on 12 October 1915. She was laid down by early 1916 at the Pola Navy Yard,By this time, the CNT

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

shipyards at Monfalcone

Monfalcone

Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....

had been overrun by the Italian Army

Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...

. See: Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 17 January 2008. and launched on 19 October.

Service career

After her completion, U-27 was commission

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...

ed into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 24 February 1917 under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Robert Teufl von Fernland. Previously in command of , von Fernland was 31-year-old native of Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. In April, von Fernland and U-27 both achieved their first kills. On 12 April, U-27 encountered the 3,756-ton Greek steamship Niritos sailing from Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

for Port Said

Port Said

Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...

. About 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off Augusta, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, U-27 shelled and sank the 11-year-old Greek ship. Four days later, von Fernland torpedoed another Greek steamer, the 2,976-ton Zinovia. Carrying coal from Barry for Taranto

Taranto

Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....

, Zinovia was sent to the bottom 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) from Cape Rizzuto

Isola di Capo Rizzuto

Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a town and comune in the province of Crotone, Calabria, Italy. The population of the town is around 15,000. Despite having the name "Isola" , it is not actually an island, rather an isthmus extending into the sea, which is completely attached to the peninsula.The main...

.

In mid-May 1917, U-27 participated in a support role in a raid on 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...

that precipitated the Battle of Otranto Straits. On the night of 14/15 May, the Austro-Hungarian cruisers , , and attacked the drifters

Naval drifter

A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers....

that deployed the anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

s that formed part of the Barrage, sinking 14, damaging 5, and taking 72 prisoners.Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt, VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...

, the commander of the British drifter

Drifter (fishing boat)

A drifter is a type of fishing boat. They were designed to catch herrings in a long drift net. Herring fishing using drifters has a long history in the Netherlands and in many British fishing ports, particularly in East Scottish ports....

Gowan Lea, was awarded the Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

for his actions in refusing to surrender to one of the Austrian cruisers. Destroyers and were sent to simultaneously attack Italian transports shuttling between Italy and Valona

Vlorë

Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...

, and sank an Italian destroyer and a munitions ship. U-27, which was assigned to patrol between Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

and Cattaro, was a part of a force of three U-boats intended to intercept British and Italian ships responding to the attacks; the other two were the Austro-Hungarian (which was posted near Valona) and the German (assigned to mine Brindisi). A squadron of British cruisers and Italian and French destroyers joined the battle against the Austro-Hungarian cruisers on 15 May. Several ships on each side were damaged by the time the engagement was broken off. As a result of the attacks the drifter line of the Barrage was moved farther south and maintained only during the day, a success for the Central Powers

Central Powers

The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

. U-27 did not take any offensive action during the raid and ensuing battle.

On 9 June, U-27 sank Roland, a French sailing ship, off the Greek island of Cerigo. Two days later, von Fernland torpedoed the Japanese destroyer between Cerigotto and Meles

Meles

Meles may refer to:* Meles , the genus badgers* Meles of Lydia, a king of Lydia* Meles Zenawi, prime minister of Ethiopia* River Meles, which flowed through ancient Smyrna...

. Sakaki was one of eight s that were part of the Japanese contribution to the Allied

Allies of World War I

The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...

effort in the Mediterranean. Although the Japanese ships often performed escort service for British troop convoys, Helgason does not report whether Sakaki was engaged in that duty when she was attacked. Even though 68 Japanese sailors perished in the attack, nearly two-thirds the complement of a typical Kaba class ship, Sakaki remained afloat, was repaired, and remained in service. On 29 December, Linienschiffsleutnant Josef Holub replaced von Fernland as commander of U-27. Holub, a 32-year-old native of Galicia, had previously been in command of and . Holub recorded his first victory with U-27 in January 1918. While near Marca, Sirocco, the U-boat torpedoed and sank the Italian steamer Andrea Costa on 22 January. The 3,991-ton Andrea Costa had sailed from Rangoon, but was sunk just short of her destination of Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. A little more than four months would pass before Holub and U-27 would score their next success.

From late April to early May, U-27 sank six small ships—five Greek and one Italian—including three on one day, 6 May. All of the ships with reported tonnages were under 50 tons. U-27 torpedoed the British destroyer at 09:18 on 14 May with the loss of one stoker and one artificer. Phoenix had been attached to the group of ships patrolling the Otranto Barrage when she was torpedoed amidships on the starboard side. Although she survived the initial attack, Phoenix was listing badly and taking on large quantities of water. An attempt was made by Australian destroyer to tow Phoenix to safety but by 12:45 she was in danger of capsizing and her crew were removed. Phoenix eventually sank at 13:10 in position 40°23′30"N 19°14′00"E. From 3 to 11 July, U-27 sank another ten ships, the largest reported being the 67-ton sailing vessel Giuseppino Padre. U-27 dispatched three of the ships on 3 July, and sank two each on 10 and 11 July. On 13 August, U-27 attacked the 2,209-ton British steamer Anhui. The 15-year-old ship was en route from Famagusta

Famagusta

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...

to Port Said, when U-27 torpedoed her 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

. Four persons on Anhui died when the ship with her general cargo went down.

U-27s next victims were all encountered in mid-September. On 11 September, the French sailing ship Antoinette was seized as a prize

Prize (law)

Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...

SM U-27 or U-XXVII was the lead boat of the U-27 class

U-27 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)

of U-boat

U-boat

s or 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 for 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....

. U-27 was built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard and launched on 19 October 1916. She was commissioned on 24 February 1917.

She had a single hull

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

and was just over 121 feet (36.9 m) in length. She displaced

Displacement (ship)

nearly 265 metric tons (261 LT) when surfaced and over 300 metric tons (295 LT) when submerged. Her two 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 moved her at up to 9 knots on the surface, while her twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s propeller her at up to 7.5 knots while underwater. She was armed with two bow torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s and could carry a load of up to four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm (3 in) deck gun

Deck gun

and a machine gun

Machine gun

.

During her service career, U-27 sank the British destroyer , damaged the Japanese destroyer , and sank or captured 34 other ships totaling . U-27 was surrendered at Pola

Pula

Design and construction

Austria-Hungary

's U-boat fleet was largely obsolete at the outbreak of World War I

World War I

.Gardiner, p. 341. 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....

satisfied its most urgent needs by purchasing five Type UB I

German type UB I submarine

submarines that comprised the from Germany,Gardiner, p. 343. by raising and recommissioning the sunken French submarine Curie

French submarine Curie (Q 87)

as ,Curie

French submarine Curie (Q 87)

had been caught in an anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

while trying to enter the harbor at Pola

Pula

on 20 December 1914. See: Gardiner, p. 343. and by building four submarines of the that were based on the 1911 Danish Havmanden class

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

.Gardiner, p. 344.The plans for the Danish Havmanden class submarines

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

German type UB II submarine

design for its newest submarines in mid 1915.Halpern, p. 383. The Germans were reluctant to allocate any of their wartime resources to Austro-Hungarian construction, but were willing to sell plans for up to six of the UB II boats to be constructed under license in Austria-Hungary. The Navy agreed to the proposal and purchased the plans from AG Weser

AG Weser

of Bremen

Bremen

.Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 1 December 2008.

U-27 displaced 264 metric tons (259.8 LT) surfaced and 301 metric tons (296.2 LT) submerged. She had a single hull

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

with saddle tank

Saddle tank (submarine)

s,Gardiner, p. 181. and was 121 in 1 in (36.91 m) long with a beam

Beam (nautical)

of 14 in 4 in (4.37 m) and a draft

Draft (hull)

of 12 in 2 in (3.71 m). For propulsion, she had two shafts, twin 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 of 270 bhp for surface running, and twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

Torpedo tube

s and carried a complement of four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm/26 (3.0 in) deck gun

Deck gun

and an 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gun

Machine gun

.

After intricate political negotiations to allocate production of the class between Austrian and Hungarian firms, U-27 was ordered from Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) on 12 October 1915. She was laid down by early 1916 at the Pola Navy Yard,By this time, the CNT

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

shipyards at Monfalcone

Monfalcone

Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....

had been overrun by the Italian Army

Italian Army

. See: Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 17 January 2008. and launched on 19 October.

Service career

After her completion, U-27 was commission

Ship commissioning

ed into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 24 February 1917 under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Robert Teufl von Fernland. Previously in command of , von Fernland was 31-year-old native of Vienna

Vienna

. In April, von Fernland and U-27 both achieved their first kills. On 12 April, U-27 encountered the 3,756-ton Greek steamship Niritos sailing from Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

for Port Said

Port Said

Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...

. About 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off Augusta, Sicily

Sicily

, U-27 shelled and sank the 11-year-old Greek ship. Four days later, von Fernland torpedoed another Greek steamer, the 2,976-ton Zinovia. Carrying coal from Barry for Taranto

Taranto

Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....

, Zinovia was sent to the bottom 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) from Cape Rizzuto

Isola di Capo Rizzuto

.

In mid-May 1917, U-27 participated in a support role in a raid on the Otranto Barrage

Otranto Barrage

that precipitated the Battle of Otranto Straits. On the night of 14/15 May, the Austro-Hungarian cruisers , , and attacked the drifters

Naval drifter

A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers....

that deployed the anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

s that formed part of the Barrage, sinking 14, damaging 5, and taking 72 prisoners.Gibson and Prendergast, pp. 254–55.Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt, VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...

, the commander of the British drifter

Drifter (fishing boat)

Gowan Lea, was awarded the Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

for his actions in refusing to surrender to one of the Austrian cruisers. Destroyers and were sent to simultaneously attack Italian transports shuttling between Italy and Valona

Vlorë

, and sank an Italian destroyer and a munitions ship. U-27, which was assigned to patrol between Brindisi

Brindisi

Central Powers

The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

Meles

Meles may refer to:* Meles , the genus badgers* Meles of Lydia, a king of Lydia* Meles Zenawi, prime minister of Ethiopia* River Meles, which flowed through ancient Smyrna...

. Sakaki was one of eight s that were part of the Japanese contribution to the Allied

Allies of World War I

effort in the Mediterranean.Halpern, p. 393. Although the Japanese ships often performed escort service for British troop convoys, Helgason does not report whether Sakaki was engaged in that duty when she was attacked. Even though 68 Japanese sailors perished in the attack, nearly two-thirds the complement of a typical Kaba class ship,Gardiner, p. 242. Sakaki remained afloat, was repaired, and remained in service. On 29 December, Linienschiffsleutnant Josef Holub replaced von Fernland as commander of U-27. Holub, a 32-year-old native of Galicia, had previously been in command of and . Holub recorded his first victory with U-27 in January 1918. While near Marca, Sirocco, the U-boat torpedoed and sank the Italian steamer Andrea Costa on 22 January. The 3,991-ton Andrea Costa had sailed from Rangoon, but was sunk just short of her destination of Malta

Malta

. A little more than four months would pass before Holub and U-27 would score their next success.

From late April to early May, U-27 sank six small ships—five Greek and one Italian—including three on one day, 6 May. All of the ships with reported tonnages were under 50 tons. U-27 torpedoed the British destroyer at 09:18 on 14 May with the loss of one stoker and one artificer. Phoenix had been attached to the group of ships patrolling the Otranto Barrage when she was torpedoed amidships on the starboard side. Although she survived the initial attack, Phoenix was listing badly and taking on large quantities of water. An attempt was made by Australian destroyer to tow Phoenix to safety but by 12:45 she was in danger of capsizing and her crew were removed. Phoenix eventually sank at 13:10 in position 40°23′30"N 19°14′00"E.Hepper, p. 133. From 3 to 11 July, U-27 sank another ten ships, the largest reported being the 67-ton sailing vessel Giuseppino Padre. U-27 dispatched three of the ships on 3 July, and sank two each on 10 and 11 July. On 13 August, U-27 attacked the 2,209-ton British steamer Anhui. The 15-year-old ship was en route from Famagusta

Famagusta

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...

to Port Said, when U-27 torpedoed her 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Crete

Crete

Prize (law)

SM U-27 or U-XXVII was the lead boat of the U-27 class

U-27 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)

of U-boat

U-boat

s or 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 for 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....

. U-27 was built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard and launched on 19 October 1916. She was commissioned on 24 February 1917.

She had a single hull

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

and was just over 121 feet (36.9 m) in length. She displaced

Displacement (ship)

nearly 265 metric tons (261 LT) when surfaced and over 300 metric tons (295 LT) when submerged. Her two 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 moved her at up to 9 knots on the surface, while her twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s propeller her at up to 7.5 knots while underwater. She was armed with two bow torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s and could carry a load of up to four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm (3 in) deck gun

Deck gun

and a machine gun

Machine gun

.

During her service career, U-27 sank the British destroyer , damaged the Japanese destroyer , and sank or captured 34 other ships totaling . U-27 was surrendered at Pola

Pula

Design and construction

Austria-Hungary

's U-boat fleet was largely obsolete at the outbreak of World War I

World War I

.Gardiner, p. 341. 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....

satisfied its most urgent needs by purchasing five Type UB I

German type UB I submarine

submarines that comprised the from Germany,Gardiner, p. 343. by raising and recommissioning the sunken French submarine Curie

French submarine Curie (Q 87)

as ,Curie

French submarine Curie (Q 87)

had been caught in an anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

while trying to enter the harbor at Pola

Pula

on 20 December 1914. See: Gardiner, p. 343. and by building four submarines of the that were based on the 1911 Danish Havmanden class

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

.Gardiner, p. 344.The plans for the Danish Havmanden class submarines

Havmanden class submarine (1911)

German type UB II submarine

AG Weser

of Bremen

Bremen

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

with saddle tank

Saddle tank (submarine)

s,Gardiner, p. 181. and was 121 in 1 in (36.91 m) long with a beam

Beam (nautical)

of 14 in 4 in (4.37 m) and a draft

Draft (hull)

of 12 in 2 in (3.71 m). For propulsion, she had two shafts, twin 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 of 270 bhp for surface running, and twin electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

Torpedo tube

s and carried a complement of four torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 75 mm/26 (3.0 in) deck gun

Deck gun

and an 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gun

Machine gun

.

After intricate political negotiations to allocate production of the class between Austrian and Hungarian firms, U-27 was ordered from Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

(CNT) on 12 October 1915. She was laid down by early 1916 at the Pola Navy Yard,By this time, the CNT

Cantiere Navale Triestino

CANT was an Italian aviation company which originally specialised in building naval aircraft, formed in 1923 as part of the CNT...

shipyards at Monfalcone

Monfalcone

Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....

had been overrun by the Italian Army

Italian Army

. See: Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 17 January 2008. and launched on 19 October.

Service career

After her completion, U-27 was commission

Ship commissioning

ed into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 24 February 1917 under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Robert Teufl von Fernland. Previously in command of , von Fernland was 31-year-old native of Vienna

Vienna

. In April, von Fernland and U-27 both achieved their first kills. On 12 April, U-27 encountered the 3,756-ton Greek steamship Niritos sailing from Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

for Port Said

Port Said

Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...

. About 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off Augusta, Sicily

Sicily

, U-27 shelled and sank the 11-year-old Greek ship. Four days later, von Fernland torpedoed another Greek steamer, the 2,976-ton Zinovia. Carrying coal from Barry for Taranto

Taranto

Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....

, Zinovia was sent to the bottom 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) from Cape Rizzuto

Isola di Capo Rizzuto

.

In mid-May 1917, U-27 participated in a support role in a raid on the Otranto Barrage

Otranto Barrage

that precipitated the Battle of Otranto Straits. On the night of 14/15 May, the Austro-Hungarian cruisers , , and attacked the drifters

Naval drifter

A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers....

that deployed the anti-submarine net

Anti-submarine net

s that formed part of the Barrage, sinking 14, damaging 5, and taking 72 prisoners.Gibson and Prendergast, pp. 254–55.Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt, VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...

, the commander of the British drifter

Drifter (fishing boat)

Gowan Lea, was awarded the Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

for his actions in refusing to surrender to one of the Austrian cruisers. Destroyers and were sent to simultaneously attack Italian transports shuttling between Italy and Valona

Vlorë

, and sank an Italian destroyer and a munitions ship. U-27, which was assigned to patrol between Brindisi

Brindisi

Central Powers

The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

Meles

Meles may refer to:* Meles , the genus badgers* Meles of Lydia, a king of Lydia* Meles Zenawi, prime minister of Ethiopia* River Meles, which flowed through ancient Smyrna...

. Sakaki was one of eight s that were part of the Japanese contribution to the Allied

Allies of World War I

Malta

. A little more than four months would pass before Holub and U-27 would score their next success.

From late April to early May, U-27 sank six small ships—five Greek and one Italian—including three on one day, 6 May. All of the ships with reported tonnages were under 50 tons. U-27 torpedoed the British destroyer at 09:18 on 14 May with the loss of one stoker and one artificer. Phoenix had been attached to the group of ships patrolling the Otranto Barrage when she was torpedoed amidships on the starboard side. Although she survived the initial attack, Phoenix was listing badly and taking on large quantities of water. An attempt was made by Australian destroyer to tow Phoenix to safety but by 12:45 she was in danger of capsizing and her crew were removed. Phoenix eventually sank at 13:10 in position 40°23′30"N 19°14′00"E.Hepper, p. 133. From 3 to 11 July, U-27 sank another ten ships, the largest reported being the 67-ton sailing vessel Giuseppino Padre. U-27 dispatched three of the ships on 3 July, and sank two each on 10 and 11 July. On 13 August, U-27 attacked the 2,209-ton British steamer Anhui. The 15-year-old ship was en route from Famagusta

Famagusta

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...

to Port Said, when U-27 torpedoed her 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Crete

Crete

Prize (law)

and towed into the port of Beyrouth. Starting three days later, Holub and U-27 sent an additional ten small ships to the bottom, including the final six all on 20 September. Except for the two largest ships—the 113-ton Agios Nicolas and the 103-ton Theologos—none were over 60 tons.

At the war's end, U-27 was in port at Pola. The U-boat was surrendered to Italy as a war reparation in 1919 and was scrapped at Fiume in 1920.Gibson and Prendergast, p. 388. In addition to the sinking and damaging of two destroyers, she sank or captured 34 merchant ships totaling . Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921 calls U-27 Austria-Hungary's "most successful submarine".Gardiner, p. 342.

Ships sunk or damaged

Ships sunk or damaged by SM U-27
Name	Tonnage	Nationality
Niritos	3,756	Greek
Zinovia	2,976	Greek
Roland	703	French
*	665	Japanese
Andrea Costa	3,991	Italian
Maria	40	Greek
San Nicola	unknown	Italian
Panaghia	unknown	Greek
Agios Dimitrios	40	Greek
Evangelistria	46	Greek
Taxiarchis	40	Greek
	765	British
Agia Trias	14	Greek
Evangelistria	unknown	Greek
Panaghia	12	Greek
San Nicola	29	Italian
Giuseppino Padre	67	Italian
Tris Adelphi	53	Greek
Agios Georgios	17	Greek
Agios Loukis	11	Greek
Agios Constantinos	14	Greek
Marigo	unknown	Greek
Anhui	2,209	British
Antoinette**	unknown	French
Agios Nicolas	113	British
Portaritissa	16	Italian
Sofia	unknown	Italian
Adelphotis	26	Greek
Agios Amma	16	Greek
Agios Spiridion	58	Greek
Aghios Nicolaos	unknown	Greek
Agios Nicolas	13	Greek
Agios Spiridion	18	Greek
Dragonos	unknown	Greek
Prof. Elias	5	Greek
Theologos	103	Greek
Sunk: Damaged: Total:	15,151 665 15,816

* damaged but not sunk
** captured as a prize

Prize (law)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.