SM U-102

History
German Empire
Name:	U-102
Ordered:	15 September 1915
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen
Laid down:	12 August 1916
Launched:	12 May 1917
Commissioned:	18 June 1917
Fate:	Sunk by mine, 30 September 1918
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:	German Type U 57 submarine
Displacement:	750 t (740 long tons) surfaced 952 t (937 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.60 m (221 ft 9 in) (o/a) 54.02 m (177 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Beam:	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) (o/a) 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught:	3.65 m (12 ft)
Installed power:	2 × 2,400 PS (1,765 kW; 2,367 shp) surfaced 2 × 1,200 PS (883 kW; 1,184 shp) submerged
Propulsion:	2 shafts, 2 × 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph) submerged
Range:	10,100 nmi (18,700 km; 11,600 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Complement:	4 officers, 32 enlisted
Armament:	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern) 10–12 torpedoes 2 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	II Flotilla 5 August 1917 – 30 September 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ernst Killmann (5 August 1917 – 25 November 1917) Kptlt. Curt Beitzen (26 November 1917 – 30 September 1918)
Operations:	7 patrols
Victories:	5 merchant ships sunk (9,340 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (10,757 GRT)

SM U-102 or SM Unterseeboot 102 was a German Type U 57 submarine used by the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-102 was launched on 12 May 1917. She was commissioned to the Imperial Navy on 18 June 1917.^[2]

Service history

Serving with II Flotilla the U-boat carried out seven war patrols and sank four ships for a total of 9,140 gross register tons (GRT), and damaged another of 10,757 GRT tons (Virginian).^[2]

About 28 to 30 September 1918 U-102 struck a mine in the North Sea Mine Barrage, east of the Orkney Islands while on her way to home. All of her 42 crew members' lives were claimed by the U-boat's sinking. The wreck of U-102 was located by a sonar sweep in 2006. Information to confirm the identification was obtained by divers in 2007.^[2]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate[3]
21 August 1917	RMS Virginian	Royal Navy	10,757	Damaged
8 December 1917	Lucien	France	200	Sunk
13 December 1917	Noviembre	Spain	3,500	Sunk
21 February 1918	Cheviot Range	United Kingdom	3,691	Sunk
3 March 1918	Romeo	United Kingdom	1,730	Sunk
24 June 1918	Caroline	Denmark	219	Sunk

See also

• U-boat Campaign (World War I)

References

Notes

1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

1. Gröner 1991, pp. 12-14.
2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 102". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 102". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 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.