SM U-51

{{Infobox ship image

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|Ship caption=

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{{Infobox ship career

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|Ship country=German Empire

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

|Ship name=U-51

|Ship ordered=23 August 1914

|Ship builder=Germaniawerft, Kiel

|Ship yard number=233

|Ship laid down=19 December 1914

|Ship launched=25 November 1915

|Ship commissioned=24 February 1916

|Ship fate=Sunk on 14 July 1916

|Ship homeport=

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{{Infobox ship characteristics

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|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=8-10}}

|Ship class={{ill|German Type U 51 submarine|lt=Type U 51|cs|Třída U 51}} submarine

|Ship displacement=*{{convert|715|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced

{{convert|902|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged

|Ship length=*{{convert|65.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a)

{{convert|52.51|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (pressure hull)

|Ship beam=*{{convert|6.44|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (oa)

{{convert|4.18|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (pressure hull)

|Ship height={{convert|7.82|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship draught={{convert|3.64|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

|Ship speed=*{{convert|17.1|kn|lk=in}} surfaced

{{convert|9.1|kn}} submerged

|Ship range=*{{convert|9400|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|8|kn}} surfaced

{{convert|55|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn}} submerged

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

|Ship complement=36

|Ship armament=*4 × {{convert|50|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern)

7 torpedoes
2 × 8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun deck guns

|Ship notes=

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{{Infobox service record

|is_ship=yes

|is_multi=yes

|partof=*I Flotilla

Unknown start – 25 May 1916
II Flotilla
25 May – 14 July 1916

|commanders=*Kptlt. Walter Rumpel{{cite Uboat.net

|id=279

|name=Walter Rumpel

|type=1comm

|access-date=16 March 2015

}}

19 February – 14 July 1916

|operations=1 patrol

|victories=None

}}

SM U-51{{#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 Type U 51 submarine, one of 329 submarines in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She engaged in commerce warfare during the First Battle of the Atlantic.

She was ordered from Germaniawerft, at Kiel, on 23 August 1914 and laid down there on 19 December. She was launched on 25 November 1915 and commissioned on 24 February 1916. Kapitänleutnant Walter Rumpel was her captain for her entire career.

Operations

Completed at Kiel about March 1916,[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918] she carried out trials at Kiel School until the end of April when she proceeded to Heligoland.[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918] British Naval Intelligence (better known as Room 40):[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918] monitored and recorded her activities. She was attached to the 2nd Half Flotilla and carried out a patrol in the North Sea between 2 May and 6 May 1916, traveling to Hanstholm in company with {{SMU|U-70}}, escorted by two Zeppelins.[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918] She was again in the North Sea between 16 May and 3 June 1916, during the Battle of Jutland. She fired two torpedoes at the British battleship {{HMS|Warspite|03|6}}, but missed her.[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918]

On 14 July the British submarine {{HMS|H5}} spotted U-51 leaving the Ems and torpedoed her. U-51 sank with the loss of 34 of her crew; four survivors were rescued.[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918]

The wreck of U-51 was raised and broken up in 1968.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=51

|name=U 51

|type=1sub

|access-date=16 March 2015

}}