U-48 class submarine
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Cantiere Navale Triestino, Pola (4) |
| Operators: |
 Austro-Hungarian Navy
|
| Preceded by: | U-43-class submarine |
| Succeeded by: | U-50-class submarine |
| Built: | 1916–1918 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 0 |
| Cancelled: | 2 |
| Scrapped: | 2 |
| Preserved: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 240 ft 4 in (73.25 m) |
| Beam: | 21 ft 11 in (6.68 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: |
|
| Complement: | 32 |
| Armament: |
|
The U-48 class was a class of four submarines or U-boats planned for the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine or K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) during World War I. The design of the boats was based on plans purchased from the German firm AG Weser in January 1916. The Navy authorized Cantiere Navale Triestino to begin construction of the submarines in Pola in September 1916. Only two of the planned four boats were laid down, but neither of them were launched or completed. Both incomplete submarines were scrapped after the war ended.
Austria-Hungary's U-boat fleet was largely obsolete at the outbreak of World War I, and over the first two years of the war the Austro-Hungarian Navy focused its efforts on building a U-boat fleet for local defense within the Adriatic. With boats to fill that need either under construction or purchased from Germany, efforts were focused on building submarines for operation in the wider Mediterranean, outside the Adriatic.
In January 1916 Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) purchased plans for an 800-tonne (880-short-ton) submarine from the German firm AG Weser of Bremen. Austro-Hungarian Navy modifications to the plans resulted in a submarine that displaced 818 t (902 short tons) surfaced and 1,184 t (1,305 short tons) submerged. The boats were to be 240 feet 4 inches (73.25 m) long with a beam of 21 feet 11 inches (6.68 m) and a draft of 10 feet 10 inches (3.30 m). For propulsion, the design featured two shafts, with twin diesel engines of 2,400 bhp (1,800 kW) (total) for surface running at up to 16.25 knots (30.10 km/h), and twin electric motors of 1,200 shp (890 kW) (total) for submerged travel at up to 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h). The U-48 class boats were designed for a crew of 32 men.
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