SM U-67
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SM U-67 was a Type U 66
submarine
or U-boat
for the German Imperial Navy during the First World War
. She had been laid down in November 1913 as U-8 the second boat of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy
but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her class, in November 1914.
The submarine was ordered as U-8 from Germaniawerft
of Kiel
as the second of five boats of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Navy became convinced that none of the submarines of the class could be delivered to the Adriatic via Gibraltar
. As a consequence, the entire class, including U-8, was sold to the German Imperial Navy in November 1914. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-8 became U-67, and all were redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. U-67 was launched in May 1915 and commissioned in August. As completed, she displaced 791 metric tons (871.9 ST), surfaced, and 933 metric tons (1,028.5 ST), submerged. The boat was 228 feet (69.5 m) long and was armed with five torpedo tubes and a deck gun
.
A part of the 4th Flotilla throughout the war, U-67 sank 18 ships with a combined gross register tonnage
(GRT) of 39,937 in thirteen war patrols. She also damaged three other ships of . On 20 November 1918, nine days after the Armistice, U-67 was surrendered to the British. She was broken up in 1921 at Fareham
.
had competitively evaluated three foreign submarine designs, it selected the Germaniawerft
506d design, also known as the Type UD, for its new U-7 class of five submarines. The Navy ordered five boats on 1 February 1913.
The U-7 class was seen by the Austro-Hungarian Navy as an improved version of its U-3 class
, which was also a Germaniawerft design.The U-3-class
submarines, however, were less than half the displacement and nearly 90 feet (27.4 m) shorter than the U-7 design. See: Gardiner, pp. 342–43. As designed for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the boats were to displace 695 metric tons (766.1 ST) on the surface and 885 metric tons (975.5 ST) while submerged. The doubled-hulled boats were to be 228 feet (69.5 m) long (OA) with a beam
of 20 in 8 in (6.3 m) and a draft
of 12 in 5 in (3.78 m). The Austrian specifications called for two shafts with twin diesel engine
s (2300 bhp total) for surface running at up to 17 knots, and twin electric motor
s (1240 shp total) for a maximum of 11 knots when submerged. The boats were designed with five 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes; four located in the bow, one in the stern. The boats' armament was to also include a single 66 cm/26 (2.6 in) deck gun
.
U-8 and sister boat were both laid down on 1 November 1913, the first two boats of the class begun. Her construction was slated to be complete within 29 to 33 months.
Neither U-8 nor any of her sister boats were complete when World War I began in August 1914. With the boats under construction at Kiel
, the Austrians became convinced that it would be impossible to take delivery of the boats, which would need to be towed into the Mediterranean past Gibraltar
, a British territory.The Austro-Hungarian Navy
's Germaniawerft-built U-3 class
boats had been towed from Kiel
to Pola
via Gibraltar
in 1909. See: Sieche, p. 19. As a result, U-8 and her four sisters were sold to the Imperial German Navy on 28 November 1914.In April 1915, just five months later, the German successfully entered the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar, proving that delivery would have been possible after all. See: Gardiner, p. 343.
U-8 was renumbered by the Germans as U-67 when her class was redesignated as the Type U 66. The Imperial German Navy had the submarines redesigned and reconstructed to German standards, which increased the surface displacement by 96 metric tons (105.8 ST) and the submerged by 48 metric tons (52.9 ST). The torpedo load was increased by a third, from 9 to 12, and the deck gun was upgraded from the 66 mm (2.6 in) gun originally specified to an 88 mm (3.5 in) one.
under the command of Korvettenkapitän Erich von Rosenberg-Grusczyski. On 28 October 1915, U-67 was assigned to the IV. U-Halbflotille in which she remained for the duration of the war.
In March 1916, Kapitänleutnant Hans Nieland replaced von Rosenberg-Grusczyski as the captain of U-67, and it was under his command that U-67 was most successful, sinking 18 ships with a combined a total of , while damaging a further three of 14,766 tons. U-67s most successful month was April 1917, when she sank four ships of 15,223 tons in a span of twelve days.U-67 had also sunk four ships in February 1917 but with a lesser tonnage, .
Nieland was succeeded as commander of U-67 by Oberleutnant zur See Helmuth von Rabenau in December 1917. Under his command during the last eleven months of the war, U-67 sank no more ships. During her service career under three commanders, U-67 had completed thirteen war patrols. She was surrendered to the British on 20 November 1918, nine days after the Armistice, and broken up at Fareham
in 1921.
* damaged but not sunk
SM U-67 was a Type U 66
German Type U 66 submarine
The Type U 66 was a class of five submarines or U-boats operated by the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The class is alternately referred to as the U-66-class or the Type UD. The class was built by Germaniawerft of Kiel to their 506d design as the U-7-class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy...
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...
or 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...
for the German Imperial Navy during the First World War
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...
. She had been laid down in November 1913 as U-8 the second boat of the U-7 class 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....
but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her class, in November 1914.
The submarine was ordered as U-8 from Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
as the second of five boats of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Navy became convinced that none of the submarines of the class could be delivered to the Adriatic via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. As a consequence, the entire class, including U-8, was sold to the German Imperial Navy in November 1914. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-8 became U-67, and all were redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. U-67 was launched in May 1915 and commissioned in August. As completed, she displaced 791 metric tons (871.9 ST), surfaced, and 933 metric tons (1,028.5 ST), submerged. The boat was 228 feet (69.5 m) long and was armed with five torpedo tubes and a 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...
.
A part of the 4th Flotilla throughout the war, U-67 sank 18 ships with a combined gross register tonnage
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
(GRT) of 39,937 in thirteen war patrols. She also damaged three other ships of . On 20 November 1918, nine days after the Armistice, U-67 was surrendered to the British. She was broken up in 1921 at Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
.
Design and construction
After the Austro-Hungarian NavyAustro-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....
had competitively evaluated three foreign submarine designs, it selected the Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
506d design, also known as the Type UD, for its new U-7 class of five submarines. The Navy ordered five boats on 1 February 1913.
The U-7 class was seen by the Austro-Hungarian Navy as an improved version of its U-3 class
U-3 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)
The U-3 class was a class of two submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The U-3-class boats were designed and built by Germaniawerft of Kiel, Germany...
, which was also a Germaniawerft design.The U-3-class
U-3 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)
The U-3 class was a class of two submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The U-3-class boats were designed and built by Germaniawerft of Kiel, Germany...
submarines, however, were less than half the displacement and nearly 90 feet (27.4 m) shorter than the U-7 design. See: Gardiner, pp. 342–43. As designed for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the boats were to displace 695 metric tons (766.1 ST) on the surface and 885 metric tons (975.5 ST) while submerged. The doubled-hulled boats were to be 228 feet (69.5 m) long (OA) 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 20 in 8 in (6.3 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 5 in (3.78 m). The Austrian specifications called for two shafts with 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 (2300 bhp total) for surface running at up to 17 knots, 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 (1240 shp total) for a maximum of 11 knots when submerged. The boats were designed with five 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes; four located in the bow, one in the stern. The boats' armament was to also include a single 66 cm/26 (2.6 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...
.
U-8 and sister boat were both laid down on 1 November 1913, the first two boats of the class begun. Her construction was slated to be complete within 29 to 33 months.
Neither U-8 nor any of her sister boats were complete when World War I began in August 1914. With the boats under construction at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, the Austrians became convinced that it would be impossible to take delivery of the boats, which would need to be towed into the Mediterranean past Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, a British territory.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....
's Germaniawerft-built U-3 class
U-3 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)
The U-3 class was a class of two submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The U-3-class boats were designed and built by Germaniawerft of Kiel, Germany...
boats had been towed from Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
to 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,...
via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1909. See: Sieche, p. 19. As a result, U-8 and her four sisters were sold to the Imperial German Navy on 28 November 1914.In April 1915, just five months later, the German successfully entered the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar, proving that delivery would have been possible after all. See: Gardiner, p. 343.
U-8 was renumbered by the Germans as U-67 when her class was redesignated as the Type U 66. The Imperial German Navy had the submarines redesigned and reconstructed to German standards, which increased the surface displacement by 96 metric tons (105.8 ST) and the submerged by 48 metric tons (52.9 ST). The torpedo load was increased by a third, from 9 to 12, and the deck gun was upgraded from the 66 mm (2.6 in) gun originally specified to an 88 mm (3.5 in) one.
Service career
U-67 was launched on 15 May 1915. On 4 August, SM U-67 was commissioned into the Kaiserliche MarineKaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
under the command of Korvettenkapitän Erich von Rosenberg-Grusczyski. On 28 October 1915, U-67 was assigned to the IV. U-Halbflotille in which she remained for the duration of the war.
In March 1916, Kapitänleutnant Hans Nieland replaced von Rosenberg-Grusczyski as the captain of U-67, and it was under his command that U-67 was most successful, sinking 18 ships with a combined a total of , while damaging a further three of 14,766 tons. U-67s most successful month was April 1917, when she sank four ships of 15,223 tons in a span of twelve days.U-67 had also sunk four ships in February 1917 but with a lesser tonnage, .
Nieland was succeeded as commander of U-67 by Oberleutnant zur See Helmuth von Rabenau in December 1917. Under his command during the last eleven months of the war, U-67 sank no more ships. During her service career under three commanders, U-67 had completed thirteen war patrols. She was surrendered to the British on 20 November 1918, nine days after the Armistice, and broken up at Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
in 1921.
Ships sunk or damaged
| Date | Name | Tonnage | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardonia | 2,169 | British | |
| Whitgift | 4,397 | British | |
| Chanaral | 2,423 | French | |
| Daisy | 1,227 | Danish | |
| Punta Teno | 1,042 | Spanish | |
| Butron | 2,434 | Spanish | |
| Elikon | 1,166 | Greek | |
| Lorton | 1,419 | Peruvian | |
| Headley | 4,953 | British | |
| Kish | 4,928 | British | |
| Rhydwen | 4,799 | British | |
| Portloe | 3,187 | British | |
| Port Jackson | 2,309 | British | |
| Harrildsborg | 1,547 | Danish | |
| Viking | 873 | Swedish | |
| Rigmor | 798 | Danish | |
| Idomeneus* | 6,692 | British | |
| De Dollart | 243 | Dutch | |
| Breynton* | 4,240 | British | |
| Redbridge* | 3,834 | British | |
| Premier | 23 | British |
External links
- uboat.net webpage for U-67
- Photos of cruises of German submarine U-54 in 1916-1918.
- A 44 min. German film from 1917 about a cruise of the German submarine U-35.
- Room 40: original documents, photos and maps about World War I German submarine warfare and British Room 40Room 40In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
Intelligence from The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, UK.