SM ''U-86'' was a Type U 81 submarine manufactured in the Germaniawerft,

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

shipyard for the German Empire during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 27 June 1918, under the command of Lieutenant Helmut Patzig, ''U-86'' sank the Canadian

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

off the coast of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, in violation of international law and standing orders of the Imperial German Navy. When the crew took to the lifeboats, ''U-86'' surfaced, ran down all the lifeboats except one, and shot at the people in the water. Only the 24 people in the remaining lifeboat survived. They were rescued shortly afterwards and testified as to what had happened. The 234 others on board ''

Llandovery Castle Llandovery Castle ( cy, Castell Llanymddyfri) is a late thirteenth-century, Grade II*-listed, castle ruin in the town of Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It occupies a knoll overlooking the River Towy and the land surrounding it. The Norma ...

'' were lost, including fourteen nursing sisters. , the former Hamburg America ocean liner SS ''Cincinnati'', was torpedoed by ''U-86'' on 1 July 1918 and sank the next day. ''Covington'' was the 17th largest ship sunk or damaged by U-boats during the war. Victory bonds (Llandovery Castle)

After the war, the captain of ''U-86'' Helmut Patzig, and two of his lieutenants were arraigned for trial on war crimes, but Patzig fled to the Free City of Danzig, and his trial was stopped on 20 March 1931 by virtue of the Laws of Amnesty. Lieutenants Ludwig Dithmar and Johan Boldt were convicted and sentenced to four years in prison; they were released after four months.

Design

German Type U 81 submarine Type 81 was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. Type 81 U-boats carried 12 torpedoes and had various arrangements of deck guns. U 81 to U 83 had one deck gun with 140-240 rounds. U 84 - U 86 were constructed w ...

s were preceded by the shorter Type UE I submarines. ''U-86'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a

pressure hull A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...

length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two engines for use while surfaced, and two engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts. She was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-86'' was fitted with six

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s (four at the bow and two at the stern), twelve to sixteen

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es, and one SK L/45

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...

(from 1917). She had a

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

of thirty-five (thirty-one crew members and four officers).

Fate

''U-86'' was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. Exhibited at

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in December 1918, along with UC-92, visitors could pay to go onboard with proceeds going to charity. She was then laid up at Portsmouth until scuttled in the English Channel on 30 June 1921. U86 coming into Bristol

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Canadian report on loss of Llandovery Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:U0086 World War I submarines of Germany German Type U 81 submarines 1916 ships Ships built in Kiel U-boats commissioned in 1916 Shipwrecks in the English Channel Maritime incidents in 1921