SM U-108

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image= Surrendered Hun U-boats at docks in Brest, France. U-boats 108 and U-C56, turned over to French under armistice terms, undergoing motor r(...) - NARA - 45511774 (cropped).jpg

|Ship caption= U-boats 108 and U-C56, in Brest docks, 1918. Note six-inch rifle on bow of U-108

}}

{{Infobox ship career

|Hide header=

|Ship country=German Empire

|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}

|Ship name=U-108

|Ship ordered= 5 May 1916

|Ship builder= Germaniawerft, Kiel

|Ship yard number=277

|Ship laid down=

|Ship launched=11 October 1917

|Ship commissioned=5 December 1917

|Ship fate=Surrendered to France, 20 November 1918

|Ship homeport=

}}

{{Infobox ship career

|Hide header=title

|Ship country=France

|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|France|naval}}

|Ship name=Léon Mignot

|Ship namesake=Léon Mignot

|Ship fate=Broken up, 1935

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

|Hide header=

|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=12-14}}

|Ship class=Type U 93 submarine

|Ship displacement=

{{convert|798|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced
{{convert|1000|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged

|Ship length=

{{convert|71.55|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a)
{{convert|56.05|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (pressure hull)

|Ship beam=

{{convert|6.30|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a)
{{convert|4.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (pressure hull)

|Ship height={{convert|8.25|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship draught={{convert|3.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship power=

2 × {{convert|2400|PS|kW shp|abbr=on|lk=on|0}} surfaced
2 × {{convert|1200|PS|kW shp|abbr=on|0}} submerged

|Ship propulsion=

2 shafts
2 × {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}} propellers

|Ship speed=

{{convert|16.4|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
{{convert|8.4|kn}} submerged

|Ship range=

{{convert|9280|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|8|kn}} surfaced
{{convert|50|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn}} submerged

|Ship test depth={{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}

|Ship complement=4 officers, 32 enlisted

|Ship armament=

6 × {{convert|50|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern)
12-16 torpedoes
1 × 10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun deck gun
1 × 8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun deck gun

|Ship notes=

}}

{{Infobox service record

|is_ship=yes

|is_multi=yes

|partof=

IV Flotilla
Unknown start – 11 November 1918

|commanders=

K.Kapt. Martin Nitzsche{{cite Uboat.net

|id=228

|name=Martin Nitzsche

|type=1comm

|accessdate=16 March 2015

}}

5 December 1917 – 11 November 1918

|operations=3 patrols

|victories=*1 merchant ship sunk
({{GRT|7,484}})

}}

SM U-108{{#tag:ref|"SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" ({{langx|en|His Majesty's}}) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.|group=Note}} was a submarine in the Imperial German Navy in World War I, taking part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=108

|name=U 108

|type=1sub

|accessdate=25 January 2010

}}

Construction

The building contract was confirmed 5 May 1916, and was awarded to Germaniawerft, Kiel.Rössler, Eberhard, The U-boat: The evolution and technical history of German Submarines, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1989, p. 66 A Type 93 boat, she was launched 11 October 1917 and commissioned 5 December. She was under the command of Korvettenkapitän Martin Nitzsche.

Design

Type U 93 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 87 submarines. U-108 had a displacement of {{convert|798|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|1000|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=12-14}} She had a total length of {{convert|71.55|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a pressure hull length of {{convert|56.05|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a beam of {{convert|6.30|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|8.25|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a draught of {{convert|3.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two {{convert|2400|PS|kW shp}} engines for use while surfaced, and two {{convert|1200|PS|kW shp}} engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts and two {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}} propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|50|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=12-14}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|16.4|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|8.4|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=12-14}} When submerged, she could operate for {{convert|50|nmi}} at {{convert|5|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|9280|nmi}} at {{convert|8|kn}}. U-108 was fitted with six {{convert|50|cm}} torpedo tubes (four at the bow and two at the stern), twelve to sixteen torpedoes, one 10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun deck gun, and one 8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun deck gun. She had a complement of thirty-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers).{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=12-14}}

Fate

On 20 November 1918, U-108 was surrendered to France where she was commissioned as Léon Mignot and served until 24 July 1935.

Summary of raiding history

class="wikitable sortable"
width="140px"\|Date ! width="140px"\|Name ! width="160px"\|Nationality ! width="25px" \|TonnageTonnages are in gross register tons ! width="160px"\|Fate{{cite Uboat.net \|id=u108 \|name=U 108 \|type=1boat \|accessdate=26 January 2015 }}
align="right"\|15 July 1918 \|align="left" \|Barunga \|align="left" \|{{flag\|United Kingdom\|civil}} \|align="right"\|7,484 \|align="left" \|Sunk

class="wikitable sortable"

width="140px"|Date

! width="140px"|Name

! width="160px"|Nationality

! width="25px" |TonnageTonnages are in gross register tons

! width="160px"|Fate{{cite Uboat.net

|id=u108

|name=U 108

|type=1boat

|accessdate=26 January 2015

}}

align="right"|15 July 1918