SM U-102

History
German Empire
Name	U-102
Ordered	15 September 1915
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	253
Laid down	12 August 1916
Launched	12 May 1917
Commissioned	18 June 1917
Fate	Sunk by mine, 30 September 1918
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	German Type U 57 submarine
Displacement	750 t (740 long tons) surfaced 952 t (937 long tons) submerged
Length	67.60 m (221 ft 9 in) (o/a) 54.02 m (177 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) (o/a) 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught	3.65 m (12 ft)
Installed power	2 × 2,400 PS (1,765 kW; 2,367 shp) surfaced 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 × 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph) submerged
Range	10,100 nmi (18,700 km; 11,600 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	4 officers, 32 enlisted
Armament	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern) 10–12 torpedoes 2 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun
Service record
Part of:	II Flotilla 5 August 1917 – 30 September 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ernst Killmann 5 August 1917 – 25 November 1917 Kptlt. Curt Beitzen 26 November 1917 – 27 September 1918
Operations:	7 patrols
Victories:	5 merchant ships sunk (9,340 GRT) 1 auxiliary warship damaged (10,757 GRT)

SM U-102 or SM Unterseeboot 102 was a German Type U 57 submarine used by the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-102 was launched on 12 May 1917. She was commissioned to the Imperial Navy on 18 June 1917.^[2]

Service history

Serving with II Flotilla the U-boat carried out seven war patrols and sank four ships for a total of 9,340 gross register tons (GRT), and damaged another of 10,757 GRT tons (HMS Virginian).^[2]

About 28 to 30 September 1918 U-102 struck a mine in the North Sea Mine Barrage, east of the Orkney Islands while on her way to home. All of her 42 crew members' lives were claimed by the U-boat's sinking. The wreck of U-102 was located by a sonar sweep in 2006. Information to confirm the identification was obtained by divers in 2007.^[2]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate[3]
21 August 1917	HMS Virginian	Royal Navy	10,757	Damaged
8 December 1917	Lucien	France	200	Sunk
13 December 1917	Noviembre	Spain	3,500	Sunk
21 February 1918	Cheviot Range	United Kingdom	3,691	Sunk
3 March 1918	Romeo	United Kingdom	1,730	Sunk
24 June 1918	Caroline	Denmark	219	Sunk

See also

• U-boat Campaign (World War I)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

• 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.

This page was last edited on 24 August 2023, at 11:51