SM U-72

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-72.

History

German Empire
Name:	U-72
Ordered:	6 January 1915
Builder:	AG Vulkan, Hamburg
Launched:	31 October 1915
Commissioned:	26 January 1916
Fate:	1 November 1918 - Scuttled during the evacuation of Cattaro in position 42°30′N 18°41′E / 42.500°N 18.683°E / 42.500; 18.683^[1]
General characteristics ^[2]
Class and type:	German 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 × 900 PS (662 kW; 888 shp) submerged
Propulsion:	2 shafts, 2× 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in) propellers
Speed:	10.6 knots (19.6 km/h; 12.2 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 (164 ft 1 in)
Complement:	4 officers, 28 enlisted
Armament:	2 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (one starboard bow, one starbord stern) 4 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck guns
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy I Flotilla 11 April – 17 September 1916 Pola/Mittelmeer II Flotilla 17 September 1916 – 1 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ernst Krafft^[3] 28 January 1916 – 17 July 1917 Kptlt. Johannes Feldkirchner^[4] 18 July – 5 November 1917 Oblt.z.S. Erich Schulze^[5] 6 November – 31 December 1917 Oblt.z.S. Hermann Bohm^[6] 1 January – 31 October 1918
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	21 ships sunk (38,596 GRT) 5 ships damaged (21,513 GRT)^[1]

SM U-72 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-72 was engaged in the commerce war in First Battle of the Atlantic.

Design

German Type UE I submarines were preceded by the longer Type U 66 submarines. U-72 had a displacement of 755 tonnes (743 long tons) when at the surface and 832 tonnes (819 long tons) while submerged.^[2] It had a total length of 186 ft 4 in (56.79 m), a pressure hull length of 153 ft 1 in (46.66 m), a beam of 19 ft 4 in (5.89 m), a height of 27 ft 1 in (8.26 m), and a draught of 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m). The submarine was powered by two 900 metric horsepower (660 kW; 890 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 900 metric horsepower (660 kW; 890 shp) engines for use while submerged. It had two propeller shafts. It was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft).^[2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 10.6 knots (19.6 km/h; 12.2 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.9 knots (14.6 km/h; 9.1 mph).^[2] When submerged, it could operate for 83 nautical miles (154 km; 96 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, it could travel 7,880 nautical miles (14,590 km; 9,070 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). U-72 was fitted with two 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one at the starboard bow and one starboard stern), four torpedoes, and one 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in) deck machine gun. It had a complement of thirty-two (twenty-eight crew members and four officers).^[2]

Operations

U-72 left the stocks at Hamburg (AG Vulcan) in March 1916, joined the Kiel School, and first entered North Sea on 11 April 1916. Attached 1st Half Flotilla, under the command of Kaptlt. Krafft.^[7]

15–21 April 1916. Cruise in North Sea. Returned with defects.
23–2 May 1916. ? Cruise in North Sea.
21 June to 4 July 1916. Northabout. Laid mines off Cape Wrath.
20 August - ? 15 September 1916. Northabout to Mediterranean. Laid mines off Lisbon, Oran and Cape Blanc. On arriving at Cattaro joined the Pola-Cattaro Flotilla.
Of U-72's operations in the Mediterranean, little is known after her arrival in September 1916.
On a cruise from the middle of February 1917 until 6 March 1917, she sank 4 steamers and stopped British hospital ship, Dunluce Castle. She damaged SS Megantic and was later unsuccessfully attacked by armed trawlers.
U-72 was reported as not having cruised, with the above exception, after January 1917, and was regarded as a lame duck. Indeed of her class, U-71 to U-80 (all minelayers), U-80 was the only boat not continually in dockyard hands. At the end of October 1918, U-72 was blown up at evacuation of Cattaro.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[8]
7 September 1916	Achaia	United Kingdom	2,733	Sunk
7 September 1916	Hiso	Norway	1,562	Sunk
7 September 1916	Doreen	Royal Navy	9	Sunk
7 September 1916	Allegro	Royal Navy	7	Sunk
7 September 1916	Griffin	Royal Navy	10	Sunk
7 September 1916	Puffin	Royal Navy	10	Damaged
19 November 1916	Maria Di Pompei	Kingdom of Italy	286	Sunk
23 November 1916	Margherita F.	Kingdom of Italy	44	Sunk
26 November 1916	Christoforos	Greece	3,674	Sunk
27 November 1916	Salvatore Ciampa	Kingdom of Italy	1,728	Sunk
2 December 1916	Palermo	Kingdom of Italy	9,203	Sunk
11 December 1916	Jeanne	Kingdom of Italy	534	Sunk
14 December 1916	Caledonia	United Kingdom	7,572	Damaged
3 June 1917	Manin B.	Kingdom of Italy	249	Sunk
7 June 1917	Errington Court	United Kingdom	4,461	Damaged
8 June 1917	Cheltonian	United Kingdom	4,426	Sunk
8 June 1917	Felicina	Kingdom of Italy	165	Sunk
9 June 1917	Bravore	Norway	1,650	Sunk
9 June 1917	General Laurie	United Kingdom	238	Sunk
9 June 1917	Montebello	Kingdom of Italy	2,603	Sunk
13 June 1917	Santo	Kingdom of Italy	622	Sunk
13 June 1917	Biagio	Kingdom of Italy	276	Sunk
25 June 1917	Southern	United Kingdom	5,694	Damaged
7 July 1917	Shigizan Maru	Japan	2,828	Sunk
1 August 1917	Rokeby	United Kingdom	3,786	Damaged
4 August 1917	British Monarch	United Kingdom	5,749	Sunk

References

1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 72". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
1 2 3 4 5 Gröner 1991, pp. 10-11.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ernst Krafft (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johannes Feldkirchner". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Erich Schulze". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hermann Bohm". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
↑ HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914-1918. National Archives, Kew.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 72". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2015.

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.

German Type UE I submarines

U-71 U-72 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80

Preceded by: Type U 66 Followed by:Type U 81 List of U-boats of Germany

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