German U-Boat Photos and Postcards

**drmessimer** · 03-10-2012, 08:17 PM

I would like to start a thread in which members will post their WWI U-boat photos and post cards. Hopefully, we can collectively create a substantial photo reference. I will start with these three postcards and one photo.

U-111

The U-111 was commissioned on 30 June 1917 and is credited with sinking three ships for a total of 3,011 BRT. On 28 November 1918 she was turned over to the USA and taken to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. From 21 April to 10 May 1919 she was one of the war trophies used in the Victory Bond Drive. The U-111 type was used to develop the Type IX U-boat in WWII. The above photo was taken in April 1919 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
LOA 71.55 m (234.7 feet); beam 6.3 m (20.66 feet); draft 3.76 m (12.33 feet) Max rated depth 50 m (164 feet) diving time 45 to 66 seconds, Max speed surfaced, 16.4 knots; submerged 8.4 knots. Armamnet: 4 bow tubes, 2 stern tubes; 1 i05mm X 45 gun + 1 88mm X 30 gun

UB-22

The UB-22 was a Type II U-Boat commissioned on 2 March 1916. She is credited with sinking 27 vessels for a total of 16, 646 BRT. On 19 January 1918 while leaving Helgoland under escort, she ran into a British offensive minefield and went down with all hands. The above photo was taken in June 1917.
LOA 36.13 m (118.5 feet); Beam 4.36 m (14.3 feet), draft 3.7 m (12 feet) Max rated depth 50 m (164 feet) dive time 32 to 45 seconds. Torpedo tubes, 4 fwd., 2 aft, the deck gun was either 88mm or 105 mm. Max speed surfaced 9.15 knots submerged, 5.8 knots

UC-5

The UC-5 was a type I Uc-mine layer that was commissioned on 19 June 1915. Her mines sunk two ships totalling 1100 BRT. On the night of 27 April 1916 she ran aground and was stranded off Harwich. The British captured the boat and the crew the following morning and towed the UB-22 into Harwitch. She was used later in the war as a trophy display.
LOA 33.99m (111.5 feet) Beam 3.15 m (10.33 feet) draft 3.04 m (9.97 feet) max rated depth 50m (164 feet) Dive time 23 to 36 seconds speed surfaced 6.2 knots, submerged 5.22 knots No guns and no torpedoes. 12 mines in 6 chutes, loaded through the top and dropped through the bottom. These were very dangerous boats to be assigned to because several blew up on their own mines.

UC-97

The UC-97 was a Type III UC-mine layer that was commissioned on 6 September 1918. The boat is not credited with any sinkings. After the war she was turned over to the USA and used in the Victory Loan Drive from 21 April to 10 May 1919. On 7 June 1921 she was used as an artillery target on Lake Michigan. The photo above was taken in Ney York Harbor during the Victory Loan Drive. The grates are mine chute doors for loading the mines.
LOA 56.51 m (185.4 feet) Beam 5.54 m (18.2 feet) draft 3.77 m (12.4 feet) Max rated depth 75 m (246 feet) dive time 15 seconds, speed surfaced 11.5 knots, submerged 6.6 knots 2 bow torpedo tubes and 1 stern tube the deck gun was either 88 or 105mm. six mine chutes with a total of 14 mines. Dwight

**jaba1914** · 03-12-2012, 08:22 PM

My only contribution is this picture of an Maschinistenmaat with U-boat badge.

Regards

Alex

**drmessimer** · 03-12-2012, 09:32 PM

Alex: Thanks for the post. That's a super photo. Dwight

**drmessimer** · 03-14-2012, 04:59 PM

This is the U-12 with a Friedrichshaven FF29 on the bow. The photo was taken on 15 January 1915 at Zeebrugge where the Germans were experimenting with transporting airplanes by u-boat. In this case the U-12 moved out some distance and dove, allowing the airplane to float free and take off. For several obvious reasons, this particular idea didn't work out. The U-12 became history on 10 March 1915 when she became the only U-boat to be damaged by an explosive sweep and forced to surface. Moments after she came up, HMS Ariel rammed her. There were ten survivors who became POWs. The Ariel was so badly damamged in the ramming that she was towed back to port. Dwight

**drmessimer** · 03-14-2012, 08:53 PM

This is a photo of Germany's first four diesel boats, which are L-R in the photo, U22, U20, U19, & U21. If you look carefully at the photo, you will see that each boat has an exhaust stack aft of the conning tower. These were the last series boats to have that feature, a carry-over from the Körting engine boats, U-1 and U-3 through U-18. These were what one might call lucky boats because all but one, U-20, survived the war. And U-20 was not an enemy-action loss. She ran aground on 5 November 1915 and was scuttled with no loss of life. Dwight

**M18922** · 03-14-2012, 09:12 PM

Some Very early Kriegsmarine/U-boat photos in my collection...

**drmessimer** · 03-14-2012, 09:25 PM

HistoryIsMe: Thanks for the post. Those are excellent photos. Dwight

**M18922** · 03-14-2012, 09:29 PM

Thank you, The photo album I bought had lots of interesting photos. With photos of all branches. Medic/army/kriegsmarine/flight.

My very interesting WW1 photo-album!

Cheers, Pat

**drmessimer** · 03-14-2012, 11:32 PM

I posted a postcard drawing of UC-5 earlier, but this is how she looked after the British had salvaged her and put her in drydock.

Another UC Boat that the British bagged was UC-44. In this case the british, using radio intelligence, lured UC-44 into a mine field that UC-42 had laid earlier. Only the captain, Kplt. Kurt Tebbenjohanns survived. He escaped from the conning tower and rose to the surface, and a lifeboat out of Waterford picked him up. Dwight

**drmessimer** · 03-19-2012, 06:20 PM

This is UB-2, a Type I UB-boat, which the Germans classed as a coastal U-boat or a "Little" U-boat. Most of them operated out of the Flanders harbors, Zeebrugge and Ostend and some went to the Mediterranean. Those that went to the Mediterranean were disassembled and shiped overland on flat cars. This boat survived the war and was broken up in 1919. Dwight