Type 139 (class)

History

Long before the first shots of World War I (1914-1918) were fired in the summer of 1914, the authorities of the Reich had recognized the value of attack submarines to merchant and warships. As a result, forty-eight ships of about the thirteenth class were under construction when fighting broke out between rival forces.

The U-boats became an important part of the operations of the Imperial German Navy for the remainder of the war, even in the final days and the final German defeat.

By 1917, thought shifted to a more technical and capable form, and a new design, the "Type 139", was developed to meet long-range, ocean-going needs. With the imminent entry of the United States into the war in April 1917, it became increasingly important to advance German naval capabilities to the east coast of the United States and beyond.

The Type 139, born under the name "Project 46", will be the largest ship ever built for the service of the German Navy, while also being developed as a military cruise submarine from the very beginning. The class will include a total of three standard-built submarines, providing the required long-range arms for service.

The program was assigned to the Germania shipyard in Kiel in August 1916, resulting in the "U-139", "U-140" and "U-141" being produced.

The U-139 was ordered on August 1, 1916 and built at the #300 shipyard, launched on December 3, 1917, but did not enter service until May 18, 1918.

These boats are built around a thicker "deck" approach, which gives the structure greater strength and resistance at depth. Mounted deck guns were aided by rangefinders, improving accuracy, and other features included a raised superstructure to better separate it from the pressurized hull when hitting the former directly. Overall, the overall form and function of the submarine is consistent with its contemporaries, including a flattened deck, a boat-like bow and a rudder-controlled stern with two propeller shafts.

The sails are set amidships.

Internally, power comes from a diesel-electric unit consisting of 2 Germania marine diesels, 1 MAN-Brown Boveri diesel and 2 AEG electric motors. All told, the engine produces up to 3,300 horsepower at the surface, which equates to nearly 16 knots. Underwater navigation is limited to 7.5 knots and above.

The highlight of the design is its inherent operating range, which maxes out at 17,750 nautical miles when cruising at 8 knots on the surface - although that range drops dramatically to just 53 nautical miles when cruising underwater.

The armament scheme includes 4 x 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes towards the bow and 2 x 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes towards the stern - this was common practice on attack submarines from the 20th century to the end of the world for the second time World War (1939-1945). Up to 24 G6 torpedoes can be carried on board. For surface operations - the preferred method of attack - the ship is armed with 1 x 150 mm SK L/45 deck guns in the bow and 1 x 150 mm SK L/45 in the stern.

Armament is complemented by 2 x 88mm SK L/30 automatic guns, which give these ships great firepower and capability against all types of surface threats and trade oriented ships.

All three ships were completed before the end of the war and were commissioned to varying degrees. Due to their short time serving under the Imperial flag, these ships were deployed throughout the Atlantic Ocean. U-139 captured three merchant ships in an engagement in early October 1918, and on October 14, 1918, U-boat attacked the 487-ton Portuguese trawler Augusto de Castillo, resulting in U-139 eventually winning a battle Continued firefights. victory.

After Castillo's crew abandoned the ship, the trawler was taken over and sank - becoming the last target claimed by the fearsome submarine fleet.

U-139 sank a total of four ships - Bylands, Manin, Rio Cavadao and de Castillo - and damaged British HMS Perth. With the end of the war in November 1918, the U-139 was handed over to France as a trophy and served with the national navy under the name "halbronn" until 1935.

Both Japan and the Soviet Union eventually got the Type 139, with the former developing their "Kedai" ships as a result, while the latter inherited the design.

The U-140 had the best performance in the series, being able to get a total of seven boats owned by Portugal, Japan, the US and the UK. However, it was surrendered on February 23, 1919, and was targeted and sunk by its new owner, the United States, on July 22, 1921.

The U-141 was launched on January 9, 1918, entered service on June 24, 1918, and surrendered on November 26, 1918just a few weeks after the end of hostilities.

The larger Type 139 submarine was planned by the German Navy as "Project 47", but this plan failed at the end of the war.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing