 U-56 arriving in a spanish port
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | U-56 |
| Ordered | 23 August 1914 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number | 238 |
| Laid down | 28 December 1914 |
| Launched | 18 April 1916 |
| Commissioned | 23 June 1916 |
| Fate | Missing since 3 November 1916. 35 dead (all hands lost) |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Type U 51 submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 7.82 m (25 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 3.64 m (11 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Complement | 36 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: | 1 patrol |
| Victories: |
5 merchant ships sunk (5,701 GRT) |
SM U-56[Note 1] was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-56 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
On 2 November 1916, U-56 was attacked by gunfire from the Imperial Russian Navy destroyer Grozovoi off Khorne Island, Norway (near Vardø). U-56 survived this attack. U-56 dropped off the crew of the Norwegian merchant ship Ivanhoe ashore at 07:45 on 3 November 1916 at Lodsvik. The Norwegian sailors were aboard the ship during the action of the previous day and their description matches with the Russian account.[3]
