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 Flotilla; 9 February 1916 – 11 November 1918;
Commanders:	Kptlt. Otto Wünsche; 22 September 1915 – 15 September 1918; Kptlt. Joachim Born; 16 September – 11 November 1918;
Operations:	12 war patrols
Victories:	52 merchant ships sunk ; (135,288 GRT); 1 warship sunk ; (1,290 tons); 5 merchant ships damaged ; (24,971 GRT);

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 IV Flotilla throughout the war, U-70 sank 52 merchant ships with a combined gross register tonnage (GRT) of 135,288. 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 five merchant ships (24,971 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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