SM U-86

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-86.

SM U-86 was a Type U 81 submarine manufactured in the Germaniawerft, Kiel shipyard for the German Empire during World War I.^[5]

SM U-86

History
German Empire
Name	U-86
Ordered	23 June 1915
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number	256
Laid down	5 November 1915
Launched	7 November 1916
Commissioned	30 November 1916
Fate	Surrendered 20 November 1918; scuttled in the English Channel 1921.
General characteristics [1]
Displacement	808 t (795 long tons) surfaced 946 t (931 long tons) submerged
Length	70.06 m (229 ft 10 in) (o/a) 55.55 m (182 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) (oa) 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)
Draught	4.02 m (13 ft 2 in)
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 × 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) propellers
Speed	16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) surfaced 9.1 knots (16.9 km/h; 10.5 mph) submerged
Range	11,220 nmi (20,780 km; 12,910 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, 31 enlisted
Armament	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern) 12-16 torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun (from 1917)
Service record
Part of:	IV Flotilla 21 February 1917 – 11 November 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Friedrich Crüsemann[2] 30 November 1916 – 22 June 1917 Kptlt. Alfred Götze[3] 23 June 1917 – 25 January 1918 Oblt.z.S. Helmut Patzig[4] 26 January – 11 November 1918[5]
Operations:	12 patrols
Victories:	31 merchant ships sunk (89,821 GRT) 2 auxiliary warships sunk (27,762 GRT) 1 auxiliary warship damaged (163 GRT)

On 27 June 1918, under the command of Lieutenant Helmut Patzig, U-86 sank the Canadian hospital ship HMHS Llandovery Castle off the coast of Ireland, 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 were lost, including fourteen nursing sisters.^[6]

USS Covington,^[7] the former Hamburg America ocean liner SS Cincinnati, was torpedoed by U-86 on 1 July 1918 and sank the next day.^[8] Covington was the 17th largest ship sunk or damaged by U-boats during the war.^[5]

A 1918 Canadian propaganda poster used U-86's sinking of Llandovery Castle as a focal point for selling Victory Bonds.

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

Type U 81 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type UE I submarines. U-86 had a displacement of 808 tonnes (795 long tons) when at the surface and 946 tonnes (931 long tons) while submerged.^[1] She had a total length of 70.06 m (229 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 55.55 m (182 ft 3 in), a beam of 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in), a height of 8 m (26 ft 3 in), and a draught of 4.02 m (13 ft 2 in). The submarine was powered by two 2,400 metric horsepower (1,800 kW; 2,400 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 1,200 metric horsepower (880 kW; 1,200 shp) engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts. She was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft).^[1]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 9.1 knots (16.9 km/h; 10.5 mph).^[1] When submerged, she could operate for 56 nautical miles (104 km; 64 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 11,220 nautical miles (20,780 km; 12,910 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-86 was fitted with six 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (four at the bow and two at the stern), twelve to sixteen torpedoes, and one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun (from 1917). She had a complement of thirty-five (thirty-one crew members and four officers).^[1]

Fate

U-86 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. Exhibited at Bristol 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.^[9]

U86 being brought into Bristol Floating Harbour for exhibition at the end of the war. The background shows what is now M-Shed museum.

Uboats U-86 and UC-92 on exhibition in Bristol at the end of the war. Bristol Hippodrome can be seen in the background.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate[10]
23 March 1917	Queenborough	United Kingdom	165	Sunk
5 April 1917	Dunkerquoise	France	127	Sunk
5 April 1917	Marie Celine	France	142	Sunk
5 April 1917	Siberier	Belgium	2,968	Sunk
6 April 1917	Rosalind	United Kingdom	6,535	Sunk
18 April 1917	Atalanta	Sweden	1,091	Sunk
28 May 1917	Antinoe	United Kingdom	2,396	Sunk
28 May 1917	Limerick	United Kingdom	6,827	Sunk
29 May 1917	Oswego	United Kingdom	5,793	Sunk
31 May 1917	N. Hadzikyriakos	Greece	3,533	Sunk
2 July 1917	Bessie	Sweden	66	Sunk
10 August 1917	Capella I	Norway	3,990	Sunk
13 August 1917	Turakina	United Kingdom	9,920	Sunk
15 December 1917	Baron Leopold Davilliers	French Navy	163	Damaged
20 December 1917	Polvarth	United Kingdom	3,146	Sunk
14 February 1918	Bessie Stephens	United Kingdom	119	Sunk
17 February 1918	Pinewood	United Kingdom	2,219	Sunk
19 February 1918	Wheatflower	United Kingdom	188	Sunk
20 February 1918	Djerv	United Kingdom	1,527	Sunk
23 February 1918	Ulabrand	Norway	2,011	Sunk
30 April 1918	Kafue	United Kingdom	6,044	Sunk
30 April 1918	Kempock	United Kingdom	255	Sunk
2 May 1918	Medora	United Kingdom	5,135	Sunk
5 May 1918	Tommi	United Kingdom	138	Sunk
6 May 1918	Leeds City	United Kingdom	4,298	Sunk
11 May 1918	San Andres	Norway	1,656	Sunk
12 May 1918	Inniscarra	United Kingdom	1,412	Sunk
16 May 1918	Tartary	United Kingdom	4,181	Sunk
22 May 1918	Meran	Norway	656	Sunk
21 June 1918	Eglantine	Norway	339	Sunk
26 June 1918	Atlantian	United Kingdom	9,399	Sunk
27 June 1918	Llandovery Castle	Royal Canadian Navy	11,423	Sunk
1 July 1918	USS Covington	United States Navy	16,339	Sunk
1 July 1918	Origen	United Kingdom	3,545	Sunk

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-boat commanders: Friedrich Crüsemann". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Alfred Götze". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Helmut Patzig". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 86". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
6. Llandovery Castle at red-duster.co.uk Archived 30 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: USS Covington (ID-1409)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
8. "Covington". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
9. Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth. pp. 20, 21, 51, 54, 101, 124. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
10. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U 86". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.

Bibliography

• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

External links

• Canadian report on loss of Llandovery Castle Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine

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