SM U-24
German submarine of World War I / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SM U-24 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was engaged in commerce warfare during the First Battle of the Atlantic.
History | |
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German Empire | |
Name | U-24 |
Ordered | 18 March 1911 |
Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
Yard number | 178 |
Laid down | 5 February 1912 |
Launched | 24 May 1913 |
Commissioned | 6 December 1913 |
Fate |
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General characteristics | |
Class and type | German Type U 23 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 64.70 m (212.3 ft) |
Beam | 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) |
Draught | 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | about 50 m (160 ft) |
Boats & landing craft carried | 1 dingi |
Complement | 4 officers, 31 men |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Commanders: | |
Operations: | 7 patrols |
Victories: |
In seven patrols, U-24 sank a total of 33 merchant ships and 1 auxiliary warship totalling 106,122 GRT and one warship for 15,000 tons, damaged three merchant ships for 14,318 GRT, and took one merchant ship as prize of 1,925 GRT.[4]
Her second kill was the most significant. The victim was HMS Formidable, torpedoed 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) south of Lyme Regis, at 50°13′N 03°04′W. She was hit in the number one boiler room on the port side. Out of a crew of approximately 711 men, 547 died as a result. This was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war.[5]
In 1915, U-24 claimed another noted victim, the passenger steamer Arabic, causing 44 deaths, including three Americans. Arabic sank in 10 minutes. This escalated the U-boat fear in the U.S. and caused a diplomatic incident which resulted in the suspension of torpedoing non-military ships without notice.[6]