German submarine U-14 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. It served with 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 18 January 1936 to 31 October 1939. U-14 completed six wartime patrols and sank nine ships totalling .
German Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-14 had a displacement of 279t when at the surface and 328t while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 2500NaN0, however. The U-boat had a total length of 42.7m (140.1feet), a pressure hull length of 28.2m (92.5feet), a beam of 4.08m (13.39feet), a height of 8.6m (28.2feet), and a draught of 3.9m (12.8feet). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700PS for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 460PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80-.
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for 35- at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-14 was fitted with three 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2cm (01inches) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of twentyfive.
Early in the war, on 3 September 1939 in the evening, U-14 attacked a Polish submarine with one torpedo from a surface, and claimed to have sunk it. In reality the Polish submarine,, was not damaged as the torpedo launched by U-14 exploded prematurely.[1] According to Jan Bartelski, the torpedo also missed the target.[2]
After serving on six operational patrols, U-14 was used as a training boat and transferred to U-boat training flotillas, serving with the 23rd and 24th U-boat Flotillas until the end of the war. Despite the high casualties suffered by the Unterseebootwaffen (German submarine arm), U-14 suffered no known casualties during the war.
U-14 was scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven.
| - | Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 1940 | Biarritz |  | 1,752 | Sunk | |
| 15 February 1940 | Sliepner |  | 1,066 | Sunk | |
| 16 February 1940 | Liana |  | 1,646 | Sunk | |
| 16 February 1940 | Osmed | | 1,526 | Sunk | |
| 16 February 1940 | Rhone | | 1,064 | Sunk | |
| 7 March 1940 | Vecht |  | 1,965 | Sunk | |
| 9 March 1940 | Abbotsford |  | 1,585 | Sunk | |
| 9 March 1940 | Akeld | | 643 | Sunk | |
| 9 March 1940 | Borthwick | | 1,097 | Sunk |