Type U 17 submarine
Type U '17' was a class of U-boats built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. As from 1908 the Germans were considering U-boats with diesel engines, but pending the development of a sufficient lightweight diesel engine, paraffin engines were used. Type 17 was a design for two diesel engines but when the U-boats were ordered in 1910, the diesel engines were not yet available and instead four paraffin engines were installed.
Design
Type U 17s had an overall length of The boats' beam was, the draught was, with a total height of. The boats displaced when surfaced and when submerged.Type U 17s were fitted with four Körting 8-cylinder two-stroke paraffin engines with a total of for use on the surface and two AEG double-acting electric motors with a total of for underwater use. These engines powered two shafts, which gave the boats a top surface speed of, and when submerged. Electrical engines were usually left open without protection against drip or bilge water to save weight, but Type 17 U-boats were the first U-boats to have fully encased electrical engines. Cruising range was at on the surface and at submerged. Constructional diving depth was.
The U-boats were armed with four torpedo tubes, two fitted in the bow and two in the stern, and carried six torpedoes. The boats' complement was 4 officers and 25 enlisted.