SM U-115

History
German Empire
Name:	U 115
Builder:	Schichau-Werke, Elbing
Cost:	4,100,000 Goldmark
Yard number:	987
Laid down:	September 1916
Launched:	1918
Fate:	never completed, broken up at Danzig
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type U 115 submarine
Displacement:	882 t (868 long tons) surfaced 1,233 t (1,214 long tons) submerged
Length:	72.30 m (237 ft 2 in)
Beam:	6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draught:	4 m (13 ft 1 in)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × MAN four-stroke diesel motors with 2,400 PS (2,400 hp) 2 × SSW double dymanos with 1,200 PS (1,200 hp) 450 rpm surfaced 330 rpm submerged
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range:	11,470 nautical miles (21,240 km; 13,200 mi) at 8 kn surfaced 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) at 4.5 kn submerged
Test depth:	50 m (160 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 32 men
Armament:	6 × 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 1 ×10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/45 and 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/30 deck gun

SM U-115^{[Note 1]} was a German Type U 115 U-boat (Projekt 43) of the Imperial German Navy built at Schichau-Werke, Elbing. As her sister ship SM U-116, she was never completed and ultimately broken up in Danzig after the armistice. Her main engines were used in M/S Adolf Sommerfeld ex SMS Gefion. Both boats had been offered to the IGN free of charge by Schichau in an attempt to gain experience in building submarines.^[1] When construction of the two boats began to lag behind due to shortages in raw materials and lack of experience in submarine construction they were declared "war boats" (Kriegsboote), formally ordered by the Reichsmarineamt and given their respective designation. On 20 October 1918 Schichau-Werke reported U 115 would not be ready for delivery until the spring of 1919. Nevertheless 14 more boats of the class were ordered on 29 June 1918 for delivery in 1919.^[2]

References

Notes

1. "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

Citations

1. Williamson 2002, p. 15.
2. Eberhard Rössler, "Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften, Vol. I. pp. 69–71.

Bibliography

• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 40. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
• Williamson, Gordon (2002). U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy. Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-362-4.
• R.H. Gibson, Maurice Prendergast, The German Submarine War 1914–1918, Periscope Publishing Ltd., 2002, ISBN 1-904381-08-1, p. 114
• Eberhard Rössler, The U-boat: the evolution and technical history of German submarines, Naval Institute Press, 1981, ISBN 0-87021-966-9, p. 56
• Eberhard Rössler, "Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften, Vol. I.
• Stefan Lipsky, Florian Lipsky, Deutsche U-Boote: hundert Jahre Technik und Entwicklung, Mittler, 2006, ISBN 3-8132-0868-0, p. 85