SM U-103

History
German Empire
Name:	U-103
Ordered:	15 September 1915
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen
Laid down:	8 August 1916
Launched:	9 June 1917
Commissioned:	15 July 1917
Fate:	Rammed and sunk 12 May 1918 by HMT Olympic. 9 crewmen killed, 31 survived.
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type U 57 submarine
Displacement:	750 t (740 long tons) surfaced 952 t (937 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.60 m (221 ft 9 in) (o/a) 54.02 m (177 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Beam:	6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) (o/a) 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draught:	3.65 m (12 ft 0 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 × 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) propellers
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced 8.8 knots (16.3 km/h; 10.1 mph) submerged
Range:	10,100 nmi (18,700 km; 11,600 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, 32 enlisted
Armament:	4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (two bow, two stern) 10–12 torpedoes 2 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Kaiserliche Marine II Flotilla 26 August 1917 – 12 May 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Claus Rücker 26 August 1917 – 12 May 1918
Operations:	5 patrols
Victories:	8 merchant ships sunk totalling of 15,462 GRT 1 merchant ship damaged 6,042 GRT

SM U-103 was an Imperial Germany Navy Type U 57 U-boat of the First World War. U-103 was built on AG Weser in Bremen, launched on 9 June 1917 and commissioned 15 July 1917. She completed five tours of duty under Kptlt. Claus Rücker and sank eight ships totalling 15,462 gross register tons (GRT).

In the early hours of 12 May 1918, U-103 prepared to launch torpedoes from her stern tubes at RMS Olympic, a sister ship of RMS Titanic, which was en route for France with US troops on board. The crew was unable to flood the two stern torpedo tubes, and the submarine was sighted on the surface by Olympic, whose gunners opened fire as Olympic turned to ram.

U-103 started to crash dive to 30 m (98 ft) and turned to a parallel course, but almost immediately afterwards was struck just aft of her conning tower and Olympic's port propeller sliced through U-103's pressure hull. The crew of U-103 blew her ballast tanks and scuttled and abandoned their sinking submarine. Nine crew members on board lost their lives. Olympic did not stop to pick up the survivors, but continued on to Cherbourg. USS Davis later sighted a distress flare and took 35 survivors to Queenstown.

U-103's wreck lies at position 49°16′N 4°51′W / 49.267°N 4.850°W / 49.267; -4.850Coordinates: 49°16′N 4°51′W / 49.267°N 4.850°W / 49.267; -4.850.

...
Wikipedia