SM U-70

History
German Empire
Name:	U-70
Ordered:	2 February 1913
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number:	207
Laid down:	11 February 1914, as U-11 (Austria-Hungary)
Launched:	20 July 1915
Commissioned:	22 September 1915
Fate:	surrendered 20 November 1918; broken up, 1919–20
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type U 66 submarine
Displacement:	791 t (779 long tons) surfaced 933 t (918 long tons) submerged
Length:	69.50 m (228 ft) (o/a) 54.66 m (179 ft 4 in) (pressure hull)
Beam:	6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) (o/a) 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	7.95 m (26 ft 1 in)
Draft:	3.79 m (12 ft 5 in)
Propulsion:	1 × shaft 2 × Germania 6-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines, 2,269 shp (1,692 kW) total 2 × Pichler&Co. electric motors, 1,223 shp (912 kW) total
Speed:	16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) surfaced 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h; 11.9 mph) submerged
Range:	7,370 nmi (13,650 km; 8,480 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced 115 nmi (213 km; 132 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 m (160 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 32 enlisted men
Armament:	5 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 12 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 deck gun, later replaced by 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun
Service record
Part of:	IV Flottille (March 1916 – July 1917)
Commanders:	Otto Wünsche 22 September 1915 – 15 September 1918 Kptlt. Joachim Born 16 September – 11 November 1918
Operations:	12 war patrols
Victories:	53 ships (137,775 GRT) sunk 4 ships (20,369 GRT) damaged 1 warship (1,290 t displ.) sunk

SM U-70 was a Type U 66 submarine or U-boat for the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during the First World War. She had been laid down in February 1914 as U-11 the final boat of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) but was sold to Germany, along with the others in her class, in November 1914.

The submarine was ordered as U-11 from Germaniawerft of Kiel as the last of five boats of the U-7 class for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Navy became convinced that none of the submarines of the class could be delivered to the Adriatic via Gibraltar. As a consequence, the entire class, including U-11, was sold to the German Imperial Navy in November 1914. Under German control, the class became known as the U 66 type and the boats were renumbered; U-11 became U-70, and all were redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications. U-70 was launched in July 1915 and commissioned in September. As completed, she displaced 791 tonnes (779 long tons), surfaced, and 933 tonnes (918 long tons), submerged. The boat was 69.50 metres (228 ft) long and was armed with five torpedo tubes and a deck gun.

A part of the 4th Flotilla throughout the war, U-70 sank 53 merchant ships with a combined gross register tonnage (GRT) of 137,775. Included in that total was Southland—at 11,899 GRT, one of the largest ships of the war sunk by a U-boat—sunk in June 1917. In addition she sank one British Flower-class sloop and damaged four merchant ships (20,369 GRT). On 20 November 1918, nine days after the Armistice, U-70 was surrendered to the British. She was broken up at Bo'ness in 1919–20.

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