German submarine U-17 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. It was built in Germaniawerft, Kiel, where it was laid down on 1 July 1935 and commissioned on 3 December 1935, under the command of Werner Fresdorf.
 U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-17 |
| Ordered | 2 February 1935 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number | 547 |
| Laid down | 1 July 1935 |
| Launched | 14 November 1935 |
| Commissioned | 3 December 1935 |
| Fate | Scuttled, 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IIB coastal submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 22 men |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 25 322 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
3 merchant ships sunk (1,825 GRT) |
Design
editGerman Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-17 had a displacement of 279 tonnes (275 long tons) when at the surface and 328 tonnes (323 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (254 t), however.[1] The U-boat had a total length of 42.70 m (140 ft 1 in), a pressure hull length of 28.20 m (92 ft 6 in), a beam of 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), a height of 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in), and a draught of 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. (All the photos only show one propellor) The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[1]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph).[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-17 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of twentyfive.[1]
Service history
editIts career consisted of four patrols, all served while under the 1st U-boat Flotilla where it sank three ships for a total of 1,825 gross register tons (GRT). Later in the war it served under the 22nd U-boat Flotilla as a training boat, including Oberleutnant zur See Walter Sitek as an instructor. Sitek had previously escaped imprisonment after the disabling and sinking of U-581 by HMS Westcott in February 1942. He swam 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to Pico Island in the Azores, made his way through neutral Spain and returned to the Kriegsmarine to serve as an instructor on U-17, U-981, and U-3005.
Fate
editOn 5 May 1945 U-17 was scuttled at Wilhelmshaven at the western entrance of the Raeder lock.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 September 1939 | Hawarden Castle |  United Kingdom
|
210 | Sunk (mine) |
| 2 March 1940 | Rijnstroom |  Netherlands
|
695 | Sunk |
| 5 March 1940 | Grutto | Netherlands
|
920 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-17". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-17". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 17". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2014.