SM U-61

SM U-61 was a German Type U 57 U-boat commissioned and deployed to operate off the coast of the British Isles and attack coastal shipping as part of the U-boat Campaign during World War I.

History
German Empire
Name:	U-61
Ordered:	6 October 1914
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen ( 216)
Laid down:	22 June 1915
Launched:	22 July 1916
Commissioned:	2 December 1916
Fate:	sunk in a depth charge attack by PC51 at coordinates 51°48′N 05°32′W on 26 March 1918. 36 dead (all hands lost).[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type:	Type U 57 submarine
Displacement:	768 t (756 long tons) surfaced 956 t (941 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.00 m (219 ft 10 in) (o/a) 54.02 m (177 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Beam:	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) (oa) 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.05 m (26 ft 5 in)
Draught:	3.79 m (12 ft 5 in)
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
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced 8.4 knots (15.6 km/h; 9.7 mph) submerged
Range:	11,400 nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 49 nmi (91 km; 56 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement:	36
Armament:	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern) 7 torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy II Flotilla 15 February 1917 – 26 March 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Victor Dieckmann[3] 2 December 1916 – 26 March 1918
Operations:	9 patrols
Victories:	32 merchant ships sunk (80,799 GRT) 6 merchant ships damaged (21,054 GRT) 3 warship damaged (4,444 tons)

In a 15-month career spanning nine war patrols, U-61 plagued allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean during the German war on Allied trade (Handelskrieg). She sank 32 Allied ships, totalling 80,799 gross register tons (GRT). She also damaged nine ships of 25,498 t (25,095 long tons), including the US Navy destroyer USS Cassin before fleeing the fight. She went missing some time after March 23, 1918.