SM U-135

SM U-135 at sea, 1917
History
German Empire
Name:	SM U-135
Ordered:	27 May 1916[1]
Builder:	Kaiserliche Werft Danzig[1]
Laid down:	4 November 1916[1]
Launched:	8 September 1917[1]
Commissioned:	20 June 1918[1]
Fate:	Surrendered, 20 November 1918 Scuttled in 1921[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type:	German Type U 127 submarine
Displacement:	1,175 t (1,156 long tons) surfaced 1,534 t (1,510 long tons) submerged
Length:	83.50 m (273 ft 11 in) o/a 65.75 m (215 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:	7.54 m (24 ft 9 in) o/a 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in) pressure hull
Height:	9.46 m (31 ft)
Draught:	4.26 m (14 ft 0 in)
Installed power:	2 × MAN diesel engines, 3,353 bhp (2,500 kW) total 2 × diesel generators for surface dash, 890 brake horsepower (660 kW) total 2 × electric motors, 1,667 shp (1,243 kW) total
Propulsion:	2 × propeller shafts
Speed:	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) surfaced 9.1 knots (16.9 km/h; 10.5 mph) submerged
Range:	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged
Test depth:	75 m (246 ft)
Complement:	44 men
Armament:	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 16 × torpedoes 1 × 15 cm (5.9 in) deck gun with 220 rounds 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	III Flotilla unknown start – 11 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Johannes Spieß[3] 20 June – 11 November 1918
Operations:	None
Victories:	None

SM U-135^{[Note 1]} was a German Type U 127 U-boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I. Built at the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig, the U-boat was laid down on 4 November 1916, launched on 8 September 1917 and commissioned 20 June 1918.

In November 1918, U-135 was ordered to help put down the German Navy mutiny at Wilhelmshaven. Along with the 4th Torpedo Boat Half-Flotilla, U-135 ended the mutiny aboard two German battleships SMS Thüringen and SMS Helgoland by threatening to torpedo the ships.

U-135 was seen by later submarine designers as an excellent design. She was an inspiration for V-boats USS Cachalot and USS Cuttlefish.

Prior to U-135 being scuttled by the Royal Navy in the early 1920s, her engines and various other items of equipment were stripped by a team of 25 students led by Technical Officer Richard Finney [1888-1953] under the auspices of J. F. Driver from the then Loughborough College. This equipment was reassembled initially in a wooden hut in Packe Street, Loughborough, and later in a purpose built generating station opened in 1937. They were finally taken out of use, and replaced, in 1949.^[4]

References

Notes

1. "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

Citations

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 135". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 15-16.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Johannes Spieß (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
4. Leonard Cantor, Loughborough University of Technology: Past and Present, 1990, LUT, p.50.

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.

Coordinates: 49°35′N 4°33′W / 49.583°N 4.550°W