SM U-20 (Austria-Hungary)
-FB45ky9KfC7LSKCujshEBo1G3DxOwb)
SM U-20 (Austria-Hungary)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Austria-Hungary | |
| Name: | SM U-20 |
| Ordered: | 27 March 1915[2] |
| Builder: | Pola Navy Yard, Pola[3] |
| Laid down: | 29 September 1915[4] |
| Launched: | 18 September 1916[3] |
| Commissioned: | 20 October 1917[4] |
| Fate: | sunk by Italian submarine F-12, 4 July 1918, raised and partially scrapped in 1962, remaining parts donated to museum[5] |
| Service record | |
| Commanders: |
|
| Victories: | None[6] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | U-20-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 127 ft 2 in (38.76 m)[3] |
| Beam: | 13 ft (4.0 m)[3] |
| Draft: | 9 ft (2.7 m)[3] |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: |
|
| Range: |
|
| Complement: | 18[3] |
| Armament: |
|
U-20 or U-XX was the lead boat of the U-20 class of submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) during the First World War. The design for U-20 was based on submarines of the Royal Danish Navy's Havmanden class (three of which had been built in Austria-Hungary), and was largely obsolete by the beginning of the war.
U-20 was just over 127 feet (39 m) long and was armed with two bow torpedo tubes, a deck gun, and a machine gun. U-20 had no wartime successes and was sunk in early July 1918 by the Italian submarine F-12. The wreck of U-20 was located in 1962 and salvaged. A portion of her conning tower is on display in a military museum in Vienna.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Austria-Hungary | |
| Name: | SM U-20 |
| Ordered: | 27 March 1915[2] |
| Builder: | Pola Navy Yard, Pola[3] |
| Laid down: | 29 September 1915[4] |
| Launched: | 18 September 1916[3] |
| Commissioned: | 20 October 1917[4] |
| Fate: | sunk by Italian submarine F-12, 4 July 1918, raised and partially scrapped in 1962, remaining parts donated to museum[5] |
| Service record | |
| Commanders: |
|
| Victories: | None[6] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | U-20-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 127 ft 2 in (38.76 m)[3] |
| Beam: | 13 ft (4.0 m)[3] |
| Draft: | 9 ft (2.7 m)[3] |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: |
|
| Range: |
|
| Complement: | 18[3] |
| Armament: |
|
Design and construction
When it became apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Navy that the First World War would not be a short war,[2] they moved to bolster their U-boat fleet by seizing the plans for Denmark's Havmanden class submarines,[8] three of which had been built at Whitehead & Co. in Fiume.[7] Although the Austro-Hungarian Navy was not happy with the design, which was largely obsolete,[9][10] it was the only design for which plans were available and which could be begun immediately in domestic shipyards.[10] The Austro-Hungarian Navy unenthusiastically placed orders for U-20 and her three sister boats on 27 March 1915.[2]
U-20 was one of two boats of the class to be built at the Pola Navy Yard.[8] Due to demands by the Hungarian government,[2] subcontracts for the class were divided between Hungarian and Austrian firms,[3] but this politically expedient solution worsened technical problems with the design and resulted in numerous modifications and delays for the class in general.[8]
U-20 was an ocean-going submarine that displaced 173 tonnes (191 short tons) surfaced and 210 tonnes (231 short tons) submerged and was designed for a complement of 18. She was 127 feet 2 inches (38.76 m) long with a beam of 13 feet (4.0 m) and a draft of 9 feet (2.7 m). For propulsion, she featured a single propeller shaft, a single 450 bhp (340 kW) diesel engine for surface running, and a single 160 shp (120 kW) electric motor for submerged travel.[3] She was capable of 12 knots (22 km/h) while surfaced and 9 knots (17 km/h) while submerged. Although there is no specific notation of a range for U-20, the Havmanden class, upon which the U-20 class was based, had a range of 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h), surfaced, and 23 nautical miles (43 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) submerged.[7]
U-20 was armed with two 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes located in the front and carried a complement of two torpedoes. She was also equipped with a 66 mm (2.6 in) deck gun and an 8 mm (0.31 in) machine gun.[3]
Service career
The conning tower of U-20 on display at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna
Details of U-20 conning tower.
Upon completion, U-20 began diving trials. On her 15 March 1917 trial, she was accidentally rammed by Admiral Spaun in the Fasana Channel. The collision with the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser twisted U-20's periscope, extensively damaged the conning tower, and knocked off her deck gun. After seven months of reconstruction, U-20 was commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 20 October.[4]
After initially operating out of Pola, U-20 was transferred to Trieste in February 1918. Over the next three months, the U-boat patrolled in the northern Adriatic between the Tagliamento estuary and Venice. U-20 had an encounter with an enemy submarine on 7 April but was not able to successfully launch an attack.[4] On 3 July, Linienschiffsleutnant Ludwig Müller sailed U-20 out from Trieste for the Gulf of Venice. A day later, U-20 was spotted by the Italian submarine F-12, which was on patrol in the northern Adriatic. F-12 initially pursued U-20 underwater, and then on the surface. At a range of 650 yards (590 m), F-12 torpedoed U-20 at position 45°29′N 13°05′E [17] , sinking her with all hands. There was no wreckage on the surface, only an oil slick.[5][1] Like all of her sister boats,[8] U-20 had no wartime successes.[6]
In mid 1962, the wreck of U-20 was discovered in the northern Adriatic. Italian salvage crews raised the boat's rear portion on 22 July and her front section on 21 November.[5] The conning tower and a small midships section of U-20 were donated to the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna, where they are on display, while the rest of the boat was scrapped.[8] The remains of the crewmen were buried on the grounds of the Theresian Military Academy at Wiener Neustadt.[11]