German submarine U-14 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. It served with 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 18 January 1936 to 31 October 1939. U-14 completed six wartime patrols and sank nine ships totalling 12,344 GRT.
 U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-14 |
| Ordered | 2 February 1935 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
| Yard number | 249 |
| Laid down | 6 July 1935 |
| Launched | 28 December 1935 |
| Commissioned | 18 January 1936 |
| Fate | Scuttled on 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 28 451 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
9 merchant ships sunk (12,344 GRT) |
Design
editGerman Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-14 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. 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-14 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
editEarly in the war, on 3 September 1939 in the evening, U-14 attacked a Polish submarine with one torpedo from a surface, and claimed to have sunk it. In reality the Polish submarine, ORP Sęp, was not damaged as the torpedo launched by U-14 exploded prematurely.[2] According to Jan Bartelski, the torpedo also missed the target.[3]
After serving on six operational patrols, U-14 was used as a training boat and transferred to U-boat training flotillas, serving with the 23rd and 24th U-boat Flotillas until the end of the war. Despite the high casualties suffered by the Unterseebootwaffen (German submarine arm), U-14 suffered no known casualties during the war.
U-14 was scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 1940 | Biarritz |  Norway
|
1,752 | Sunk |
| 15 February 1940 | Sliepner |  Denmark
|
1,066 | Sunk |
| 16 February 1940 | Liana |  Sweden
|
1,646 | Sunk |
| 16 February 1940 | Osmed | Sweden
|
1,526 | Sunk |
| 16 February 1940 | Rhone | Denmark
|
1,064 | Sunk |
| 7 March 1940 | Vecht |  Netherlands
|
1,965 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1940 | Abbotsford |  United Kingdom
|
1,585 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1940 | Akeld | United Kingdom
|
643 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1940 | Borthwick | United Kingdom
|
1,097 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
- ^ "ORP Sęp – Operational History". polishnavy.pl. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Bartelski, Jan (2014). "Nieudane ataki torpedowe U-Bootów na ORP Sęp". Morze, Statki i Okręty (in Polish). No. 9-10/2014 (148). Warsaw. pp. 25–27. ISSN 1426-529X.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-14". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 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.
- Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-904687-96-2.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-14". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 14". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.