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Type UE II submarine

{{Short description|Class of German mine laying submarines}}

{{Infobox ship begin}}

{{Infobox ship image

| Ship image =SM U 117 Hafen.jpg

| Ship caption =SM U-117 at Cape Charles

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

| Builders =*AG Vulkan, Hamburg

| Operators =*{{navy|German Empire}}

  • {{navy|France}}
  • {{navy|Empire of Japan}}

| Class before =

| Class after =

| Subclasses =U-122

| Built range =1917–1918

| In commission range =1917–1918

| Total ships completed =10

| Total ships lost =4

| Total ships scrapped=6

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

| Hide header =

| Header caption =

| Ship type =Ocean-going mine-laying submarine

| Ship displacement ={{convert|1164|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced; {{convert|1512|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged

| Ship length ={{convert|81.52|or|82|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| Ship beam ={{convert|7.42|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| Ship draft ={{convert|4.22|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| Ship propulsion =2 shafts; 2 diesel engines, 2 electric motors

|Ship power=*Diesel engines {{cvt|2400|PS|kW shp|lk=on|0}}

  • Electric motors {{cvt|1200|PS|kW shp|0}}

| Ship speed =*{{convert|14.7|kn|lk=in}} surfaced

  • {{convert|7|kn}} submerged

| Ship range =*{{convert|11470|and|13900|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|8|kn}} surfaced

  • {{convert|35|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4.5|kn}} submerged

| Ship test depth ={{convert|75|m|ft|abbr=on}}

| Ship complement=4 officers, 36 enlisted men

| Ship sensors=2 periscopes

| Ship armament =*4 × {{convert|50|cm|adj=on|abbr=on|1}} torpedo tubes, 14 torpedoes

| Ship notes =

}}

The Type UE II submarines were a class of submarines built by the German Empire during World War I as long-range mine-layers.

UE II boats carried 14 torpedoes and were armed with one 150 mm deck gun. They carried a crew of 40 and had a cruising range of about 9,400 miles. Nine were built between 1917 and 1918.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=UE+2

|name=UE 2

|type=1type

|access-date=24 January 2010

}}

The UE IIs joined the conflict in the middle of 1917, at a time when the tide of the war was turning against Germany. In the months beforehand, the United States Navy was added to the ranks of their enemies; and the convoy system was introduced, making it difficult to engage enemy merchant shipping without being spotted by destroyer escorts.{{Cite web|last=Goebel|first=Greg|title=The First Battle of the Atlantic|url= http://www.vectorsite.net/twsub2.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020310214318/http://www.vectorsite.net/twsub2.html|url-status= usurped|archive-date= 10 March 2002|publisher=Vectorsite.net|date=Dec 24, 2008|access-date=Jan 25, 2010}} Because they entered service late in the war, the UE IIs only sank 23 ships and damaged 4 others before the end of hostilities. SM U-117 was by far the most successful U-boat, taking credit for 20 ships sunk out of the total of 23 for the entire type.{{cite Uboat.net

|name=U 117

|id=117

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} The UE II's were the last of the UE class U-boats built by the German Imperial Navy; the last of the class, U-126, was commissioned on 3 October 1918, a little over a month before the armistice at Compiègne.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=126

|name=U 126

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}}

Post-war years

Following the end of the war, all of the Type UE II submarines were handed over to the allies as part of the Treaty of Versailles. SM U-117 was handed over to the United States where she remained in the Philadelphia Navy Yard along with other U-boats. In June 1921 she was taken out to sea and sunk as a target for aerial bombing tests conducted by the Navy and Army. SM U-118 was turned over to France but broke her tow and was washed ashore at Hastings in Sussex where she remained until being finally broken up in December 1919.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=118

|name=U 118

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-119 was surrendered to France in November 1918. She was renamed the René Audry and saw service in the French Navy and was eventually broken up in October 1937.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=119

|name=U 119

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-120 was transferred to Italy in November 1918. She was broken up soon after in April 1919.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=120

|name=U 120

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-122 was surrendered to England on 26 November 1918. She later ran aground on the English east coast while on her journey to Scapa Flow.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=122

|name=U 122

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} Like SM U-122, SM U-123 also ran aground on the English coast where she was broken up.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=123

|name=U 123

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-124 was surrendered in December 1918 and was later broken up in Swansea in 1921.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=124

|name=U-124

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-125 surrendered to Japan in late November 1918. She served in the Japanese Navy as the O1 in 1920-21. between January and March 1921, U-125 was dismantled at Yokosuka Navy Yard.{{cite Uboat.net

|id=125

|name=U-125

|type=1sub

|access-date=24 January 2010

}} SM U-126 was handed over to the allies in November 1918 and later broken up at Upnor in 1923.

Ships sunk or damaged by Type UE II submarines

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Ships sunk or damaged by Type UE II submarines{{cite Uboat.net

|id=u117

|name=U 117

|type=1boat

|access-date=24 January 2010

}}{{cite Uboat.net

|id=u118

|name=U 118

|type=1boat

|access-date=24 January 2010

}}{{cite Uboat.net

|id=u122

|name=Ships hit by U-122

|type=1boat

|access-date=24 January 2010

}}

! width="140px"|Date

! width="140px"|Name

! width="170px"|Nationality

! width="25px" |TonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

! width="100px"|Fate

! width="100px"|U-boat credited with loss

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Aleda May

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|31

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Cruiser

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|28

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Earl & Nettie

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|24

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Katie L. Palmer

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|31

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Mary E. Sennett

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|26

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Progress

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|34

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |Reliance

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|19

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|10 August 1918

|align="left" |William H. Starbuck

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|53

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|12 August 1918

|align="left" |Sommerstad

|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}

|align="right"|3,875

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|13 August 1918

|align="left" |Frederic R. Kellogg

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|7,127

|align="left" |Damaged

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|14 August 1918

|align="left" |Dorothy B. Barrett

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|2,088

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|15 August 1918

|align="left" |Madrugada

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|1,613

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|16 August 1918

|align="left" |Mirlo

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|6,978

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|17 August 1918

|align="left" |Nordhav

|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}

|align="right"|2,846

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|20 August 1918

|align="left" |Ansaldo III

|align="left" |{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}

|align="right"|5,310

|align="left" |Damaged

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|24 August 1918

|align="left" |Bianca

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|408

|align="left" |Damaged

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|26 August 1918

|align="left" |Rush

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|145

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|27 August 1918

|align="left" |Bergsdalen

|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}

|align="right"|2,555

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|30 August 1918

|align="left" |Elsie Porter

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|136

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|30 August 1918

|align="left" |Potentate

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|136

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|16 September 1918

|align="left" |Wellington

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|5,600

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-118

align="right"|29 September 1918

|align="left" |{{USS|Minnesota|BB-22|6}}

|align="left" |{{navy|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|18,000

|align="left" |Damaged

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|2 October 1918

|align="left" |Arca

|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}

|align="right"|4,839

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-118

align="right"|4 October 1918

|align="left" |San Saba

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|2,458

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|18 October 1918

|align="left" |Njordur

|align="left" |{{flag|Iceland}}

|align="right"|278

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-122

align="right"|27 October 1918

|align="left" |Chaparra

|align="left" |{{flag|Cuba}}

|align="right"|1,510

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

align="right"|9 November 1918

|align="left" |Saetia

|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}

|align="right"|2,873

|align="left" |Sunk

|align="right"|U-117

Ships in class

There were 9 Type UE II submarines commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

  • {{SMU|U-117}}
  • {{SMU|U-118}}
  • {{SMU|U-119}}
  • {{SMU|U-120}}
  • {{SMU|U-122}}
  • {{SMU|U-123}}
  • {{SMU|U-124}}
  • {{SMU|U-125}}
  • {{SMU|U-126}}

{{div col end}}

One submarine was not completed before the armistice.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

  • {{SMU|U-121}}

{{div col end}}

Notes

{{Reflist|group=Note}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

{{commons category|German Type UE 2 submarine}}

  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
  • {{cite book

|last1=Gröner

|first1=Erich

|last2=Jung

|first2=Dieter

|last3=Maass

|first3=Martin

|translator-last1=Thomas

|translator-first1=Keith

|translator-last2=Magowan

|translator-first2=Rachel

|year=1991

|title=German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels

|volume=2

|location=London

|publisher=Conway Maritime Press

|isbn=0-85177-593-4

|ref=CITEREFGröner1991

}}

{{German Type UE II submarines}}

{{WWI German ships}}

{{use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Type UE 2}}

Category:Submarine classes

Category:World War I submarines of Germany

Category:World War I minelayers of Germany