Type U 17 submarine

Type U 17 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. As from 1908 the Germans were considering U-boats with diesel engines, but pending the development of a sufficient lightweight diesel engine, paraffin engines were used. Type 17 was a design for two diesel engines but when the U-boats were ordered in 1910, the diesel engines were not yet available and instead four paraffin engines were installed.^[1]

Class overview
Builders	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	U 16
Succeeded by	Type U 19
Completed	2
Lost	1
General characteristics
Displacement	564 t (555 long tons) surfaced 691 t (680 long tons) submerged
Length	62.35 m (204 ft 7 in)
Beam	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Height	7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught	3.40 m (11 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × 2 Körting 8-cylinder two stroke paraffin motors with 1,400 PS (1,000 kW; 1,400 shp) 2 × AEG electric motors with 1,120 PS (820 kW; 1,100 shp) 550 rpm surfaced 425 rpm submerged
Speed	14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph) surfaced 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) submerged
Range	6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement	4 officers, 25 men
Armament	4 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 each bow and stern) 6 torpedoes On U-17 from 1914 : 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun, replaced in 1917 by 1 × 5 cm (2.0 in) SK L/40 gun

Design

Type U 17s had an overall length of 62.35 m (204 ft 7 in) The boats' beam was 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in), the draught was 3.40 m (11 ft 2 in), with a total height of 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in). The boats displaced 564 tonnes (555 long tons) when surfaced and 691 t (680 long tons) when submerged.^[2]

Type U 17s were fitted with four Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of 1,400 metric horsepower (1,030 kW; 1,381 bhp) for use on the surface and two AEG double-acting electric motors with a total of 820 kW (1,115 PS; 1,100 shp) for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph), and 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) when submerged.^[2] Electrical engines were usually left open without protection against drip or bilge water to save weight, but Type 17 U-boats were the first U-boats to have fully encased electrical engines.^[3] Cruising range was 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km; 7,700 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) on the surface and 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.^[2] Diving depth was 50 m (164 ft 1 in).

The U-boats were armed with four 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 25 enlisted.^[2]

Ships

Name	Fate[2]
U-17	Scrapped in 1919-20.
U-18	Sunk on 23 November near the Orkney islands.