SM U-26

SM U-26 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in World War I.

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-26.
History
German Empire
Name: U-26
Ordered: 18 March 1911
Builder: Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid down: 31 May 1912
Launched: 16 October 1913
Commissioned: 20 May 1914
Fate: 30 September 1915 - Lost in Gulf of Finland August/September 1915 for unknown reason. 30 dead (all hands lost).
General characteristics Ocean-going diesel submarine
Class and type: German Type U 23 submarine
Displacement:
  • 669 t (658 long tons) surfaced
  • 864 t (850 long tons) submerged
Length: 64.70 m (212.3 ft)
Beam: 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in)
Draught: 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
Propulsion:
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × Germania 6-cylinder two stroke diesel motors with 1,800 PS (1,320 kW; 1,780 shp)
  • 2 × SSW double Motordynamos with 1,200 PS (880 kW; 1,180 shp)
  • 450rpm surfaced
  • 330 rpm submerged
Speed:
  • 16.7 knots (30.9 km/h; 19.2 mph) surfaced
  • 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h; 11.9 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 9,910 nmi (18,350 km; 11,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 85 nmi (157 km; 98 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth: about 50 m (160 ft)
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 1 dingi
Complement: 4 officers, 31 men
Armament:
Service record
Part of:
  • German Imperial Navy:
  • IV Flotilla
  • 1 August 1914 – Unknown end
  • Baltic Flotilla
  • Unknown start – 30 September 1915
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Egewolf Freiherr von Berckheim[1]
  • 1 August – 17 December 1914 &
  • 13 January – 30 September 1915
Operations: 1 patrol
Victories:
  • 3 merchant ships sunk (3,700 GRT)
  • 2 warships sunk (11,375 tons)

U-26 was engaged in the Naval warfare of World War I in the Baltic Sea. On 11 October 1914, she sank the cruiser Pallada, inflicting the first loss of the war on the Russian Navy.

Fate

The boat did not return from sea in August 1915, and is assumed to have struck a mine off the coast of Finland, being lost with its entire crew of 30.

Wreck discovered

The boat was found in the western Gulf of Finland as reported by the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in May 2014.[2][3]

Summary of raiding history
Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[4]
11 October 1914 Pallada  Imperial Russian Navy 7,775 Sunk
23 April 1915 Fråck  Russian Empire 849 Sunk
4 June 1915 Yenisei  Imperial Russian Navy 3,600 Sunk
25 August 1915 Petshora  Imperial Russian Navy 1,982 Sunk
30 August 1915 Zemlya  Russian Empire 869 Sunk

References

Notes
  1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Egewolf Freiherr von Berckheim (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. Unto Hämäläinen, Sata vuotta etsitty sukellusvene U-26 löytyi. Helsingin Sanomat, May 29, 2014 p. A 15
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 26". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

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. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

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