SM U-38





SM U-38 was a German Type U 31 U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the third most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 134 merchant ships sunk for a total of 287,811 GRT.

Its longest serving captain was Kptlt. Max Valentiner, who was awarded the Pour le Mérite while in command of U-38. Valentiner was in command of U-38 in November and December 1915 when she sank the passenger liners SS Ancona and SS Persia (1900); both were controversial since the ships were sunk by torpedoes without warning, in defiance of the then-current Prize rules, which stated that merchant vessels carrying passengers be given an opportunity to evacuate their passengers before being sunk.

In 1917 Valentiner was succeeded as commander of U-38 by Kptlt. Wilhelm Canaris, who decades later became an Admiral and head of the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence), in 1935–1944.

Design
Type U 31 submarines were double-hulled ocean-going submarines similar to Type 23 and Type 27 subs in dimensions and differed only slightly in propulsion and speed. They were considered very good high sea boats with average manoeuvrability and good surface steering.

U-38 had an overall length of 64.70 m, her pressure hull was 52.36 m long. The boat's beam was 6.32 m (o/a), while the pressure hull measured 4.05 m. Type 31s had a draught of 3.56 m with a total height of 7.68 - 8.04 m. The boats displaced a total of 971 t; 685 t when surfaced and 878 t when submerged.

U-38 was fitted with two Germania 6-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines with a total of 1850 PS for use on the surface and two Siemens-Schuckert double-acting electric motors with a total of 1200 PS for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts each with a 1.60 m propeller, which gave the boat a top surface speed of 16.4 kn, and 9.7 kn when submerged. Cruising range was 8790 nmi at 8 kn on the surface, and 80 nmi at 5 kn under water. Diving depth was 50 m.

The U-boat was armed with four 50 cm torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried 6 torpedoes. Additionally U-38 was equipped in 1915 with one 8.8 cm Uk L/30 deck gun, which was replaced with a 10.5 cm gun in 1916/17. The boat's complement was 4 officers and 31 enlisted.

Fate
After World War I ended, U-38 was surrendered to France and docked in Brest in 1919, and then broken up.