Name U-77 Yard number 59 Launched 9 January 1916 Builder Bremer Vulkan | Ordered 9 March 1915 Commissioned 10 March 1916 Draft 4.86 m | |
Fate 7 July 1916 - Lost after this date while on a mission to lay mines off Kinnaird Head, Scotland. 33 dead (all hands lost). Class and type German Type UE I submarine | ||
SM U-77 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I, engaged in commerce warfare during the First Battle of the Atlantic.
Contents
Design
German Type UE I submarines were preceded by the longer Type U 66 submarines. U-77 had a displacement of 755 tonnes (743 long tons) when at the surface and 832 tonnes (819 long tons) while submerged. 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).
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). 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-77 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).
Operations
U-77 was commanded by Kaptlt Erich Günzel, who was lost with her. It came off the stocks at Hamburg (Vulcan) in 1916; in May and June was at Kiel School, and first entered North Sea with U-76 on 29 June, to join the 1st Half Flotilla.