Post Description

voor de modelbouwers en liefhebbers van WO1 :)

K.u.K. U 14 (ex Curie) 1917
format; jpg

The French submarine Curie (Q 87) was a member of the diesel-powered Brumaire class.  She was built at the Arsenal de Toulon and launched on 18 July 1912.

On 20 December 1914, the Curie attempted to infiltrate the Austrian-Hungarian naval base at Pola, only to be caught in the harbor defense nets.  She was forced to surface and was sunk by gunfire. She was raised February 1915, refitted and renamed U 14.  She was originally armed with 1 torpedo tube, 4 trainable Drzewiecki drop-collar torpedo launchers fore and aft and 2 fixed torpedo launchers abeam the conning tower. 

In 1916, U 14 was fitted with new engines, given a German-style conning tower and had an 88 mm deck gun mounted forward.  These changes not only dramatically changed her outward appearance, it also significantly improved her fighting capabilities.

Under the command of Lieutenant Georg Ritter Von Trapp (of “The Sound of Music” fame) the U 14 was one of most successful submarines in the Austrian-Hungarian fleet. In 1919, the French reclaimed U 14 (again named Curie) and continued to serve in the French Navy until 1928 and was stricken in 1929.

Displacement: 397t surface 551t submerged 

Dimensions:  52.1m x 5.14m x 3.1m or 170’ 11” x 17’ 9” x 10’ 2” (length/beam/draft)

Machinery: 2-shaft 4-stroke 6 cylinder engines plus electric motors 840bhp/660shp

Speed: 13 knots surfaced – 8 knots submerged

Range: 1,700 nautical miles @ 10 knots surfaced, 85 nautical miles @ 5 knots submerged.

Armament: 1-53.3cm (21in) torpedo tube in the bow – 6-53.3cm torpedo launchers (7 torpedoes) – 1-88mm/30 deck gun (after modernization)

Complement: 28 

Thanks to u-boat laboratorium & Fairwater :)