SM U-75

History

German Empire
Name	U-75
Ordered	9 March 1915
Builder	AG Vulkan, Hamburg
Yard number	57
Launched	30 January 1916
Commissioned	26 March 1916
Fate	13 December 1917 - Struck a mine off Terschelling. 23 dead, unknown number of survivors.
General characteristics
Class & type	Type UE I submarine
Displacement	755 t (743 long tons) surfaced 832 t (819 long tons) submerged
Length	56.80 m (186 ft 4 in) (o/a) 46.66 m (153 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	5.90 m (19 ft 4 in) (o/a) 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught	4.86 m (15 ft 11 in)
Installed power	2 × 900 PS (662 kW; 888 shp) surfaced 2 × 800 PS (588 kW; 789 shp) submerged
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2× 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in) propellers
Speed	9.9 knots (18.3 km/h; 11.4 mph) surfaced 7.9 knots (14.6 km/h; 9.1 mph) submerged
Range	7,880 nmi (14,590 km; 9,070 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced 83 nmi (154 km; 96 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	50 m (160 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 28 enlisted
Armament	2 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (one port bow, one starbord stern) 4 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun
Service record
Part of:	I Flotilla 29 June 1916 – 13 December 1917
Commanders:	Kptlt. Curt Beitzen 26 March 1916 – 1 May 1917 Kptlt. Fritz Schmolling 2 May – 13 December 1917
Operations:	7 patrols
Victories:	8 merchant ships sunk (16,913 GRT) 1 warship sunk (10,850 tons) 3 auxiliary warships sunk (1,434 GRT) 2 merchant ships damaged (7,548 GRT) 1 auxiliary warship damaged (194 GRT) 1 merchant ship taken as prize (1,700 GRT)

SM U-75 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-75 was engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. On her first mission, U-75 laid the mine that sank the cruiser HMS Hampshire during her voyage to Russia carrying British Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener. The cruiser sank at 59°07′N 03°24′W / 59.117°N 3.400°W / 59.117; -3.400 west of the Orkney Islands with nearly total loss of life in a force 9 gale.