German ''U-1'' Submarine

By Crusader1307

While submersible warships were NOT a new idea, it was The Imperial German Navy who first developed a “workable” submarine design. The first prototype developed – The U-1 (“U” for Unterseaboot), was first launched in 1906. By 1914, a new Fleet of submarines would be designed from this initial design (by 1914, The U-1 was the primary Training Ship for Submariners). The U-1 displaced over 280 tons. It was 140 feet long with a 13 foot height (beam). The U-1 featured (1) 6-cylinder 2 stroke motor with an additional 2 electric engines. This gave U-1 some 13 miles per hour (on the surface), and 10 miles per hour submerged. She had a 1,700 mile operational limit. U-1 crewed 10 men and 2 Officers. She was initially armed with (3) C/03 Torpedoes. She was Not originally given deck guns. U-1 was able to reach depths of 100 feet. Severely damaged in an accidental impact with another ship, she was raised and was eventually restored. She is currently a “Land Museum” at The Deutsches Museum, in Germany.