SM ''U-93'' was one of the 329 submarines serving in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the 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 coast defence. Wilhel ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. ''U-93'' 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. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large l ...

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

German Type U 93 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 87 submarines. ''U-93'' 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 pressur ...

length of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy * Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy ** Laser beam * Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized g ...

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-93'' 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 abo ...

s (four at the bow and two at the stern), twelve to sixteen torpedoes, and one SK L/30

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 ...

. 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-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers).

Operational history

After February 1917 she was commanded by the late author of books (e.g. ''U boat 202. The war diary of a German submarine, 1919'') and experienced submarine commander

Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim (October 9, 1885 – May 15, 1965) was a German submarine commander in World War I, Consul in New Orleans and Marseille in World War II and writer. He wrote several, mainly autobiographical naval warfare ...

On 30 April 1917 about south of Ireland, in the Atlantic, ''U-93'' attacked HMS ''Prize'', a three-masted topsail schooner (one of the Q ships) commanded by Lieutenant

William Edward Sanders Lieutenant Commander William Edward Sanders, (7 February 1883 – 14 August 1917) was a First World War New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded to Brit ...

(who received a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for the action). HMS ''Prize'' was damaged by shellfire. After the 'panic party' had taken to the boats and the ship appeared to be sinking, the U-boat approached to within of her port quarter, whereupon the White Ensign was hoisted and the ''Prize'' opened fire. Within a few minutes the submarine was on fire and her bows rose in the air, whilst the ''Prize'' was further damaged. The U-boat disappeared from sight, and was believed to have been sunk by the crew of the ''Prize'' and by several of the German crew (including her captain) who had been blown or jumped into the sea. Neither of the crippled ships had sunk, with the ''Prize'' being towed in flames back to

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 ...

, while the ''U-93'' struggled back to the

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the ...

nine days later after a dramatic escape effort through the British mine and destroyer barrages off Dover. ''U 93'' after repairs operated in the English channel. She was lost to unknown cause off Hardelot,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in January 1918. The wreck was located by divers in 2003.

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:U0093 World War I submarines of Germany German Type U 93 submarines Ships built in Kiel 1916 ships U-boats commissioned in 1917 Maritime incidents in 1918 U-boats sunk in 1918 Missing U-boats of World War I