SM ''U-71'' was one of 329

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s serving in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. ''U-71'' was engaged in the

naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The Military, armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be ...

and took part in the

First Battle of the Atlantic The Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I (sometimes called the "First Battle of the Atlantic", in reference to the World War II campaign of that name) was the prolonged naval conflict between German submarines and the Allied navies in Atla ...

Design

Type UE I submarines were preceded by the longer Type U 66 submarines. ''U-71'' 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 ''superstructure'' and the ''pressure hull''. The external portion of a submarine’s hull—that part that does not resist sea pressure and is free-flooding—is known as the “superstructure” i ...

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-71'' was fitted with two

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 (one at the starboard bow and one starboard stern), four torpedoes, and one deck gun. She had a

complement Complement may refer to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-class collections into complementary sets * Complementary color, in the visu ...

of thirty-two (twenty-eight crew members and four officers).

Operations

''U-71'' came off the stocks at Hamburg (Vulcan) in January 1916, and joined the Kiel School where she remained until 7 April 1916, when she entered the North Sea to join the 1st Half Flotilla.HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914-1918
National Archives, Kew. *12 April - ? 21 April 1916. Apparently cruising in North Sea. *21 June – 8 July 1916. Northabout. Laid mines off

Skerryvore Skerryvore (from the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''An Sgeir Mhòr'' meaning "The Great Skerry") is a remote island that lies off the west coast of Scotland, southwest of Tiree. Skerryvore Lighthouse is located on these rocks, built with some diff ...

. *14 October – 4 November 1916. Skagerrak. Sank 3 S.S., 1 sailing vessel. *11–23 December 1916. North Sea. Sank 2 S.S., 2 sailing vessels. *10–22 January 1917. Minelaying in North Sea, St. Magnus Bay,

Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

Isles. Returned owing to bad weather and overheating of engine. *6–21 February 1917. ? Laid mines in Loch Ewe, North Minch, off

Butt of Lewis The Butt of Lewis () is the most northerly point on the Island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by the Butt of Lewis Lig ...

, Broad Bay and

Firth of Lorn The Firth of Lorn or Lorne () is the inlet of the sea between the south-east coast of the Isle of Mull and the mainland of Scotland. It includes a number of islands, and is noted for the variety of wildlife habitats that are found. In 2005, a l ...

e. *At sea 16 May 1917 – 8 June 1917. Possible laid mines off Tory I. Sank 1 S.S., 2 sailing vessels. *7–26 July 1917. North Sea. Locality of her mines not fixed. Sank 223 tons. *1/5 September 1917. Went out 3 times and returned, the last time with defects. *10–14 October 1917. In Baltic. Returned with defects. *20–24 December 1917. Laid mines off Dutch coast. *29 December 1917 – 2 January 1918. Laid mines off Dutch coast. ? Took 1 prize. *18–23 January 1918. Laid mines off Dutch coast. *4–15 February 1918. Laid mines off Dutch coast. Emerged from Skagerrak and returned by Sound. *18–29 March 1918. Laid mines off Dutch coast. Went out by Skagerrak. Returned to Bight. *23 April – 2 May 1918. Laid mines off

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

. *18–24 June 1918. Laid mines off Aberdeen. *Early in July – 22 July 1918. Laid mines off Firth of Forth. *? 29 September – 11 October 1918. ? Dutch coast. Submarine reports "Task given up". *23 February 1919. Surrendered at Harwich.

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:U0071 World War I submarines of Germany 1915 ships U-boats commissioned in 1915 Ships built in Hamburg German Type UE I submarines