Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Kriegsmarine — Submarine 1940

German submarine U-123 (1940)

Type IXB submarine

German submarine U-123 (1940)
Dietrich — This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project . The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive — CC BY-SA 3.0 de — Wikimedia Commons Plate — 1940

Service

  1. Kriegsmarine as U-12330 May 1940 — 17 June 19441,481 days of the war
  2. Marine Nationale as Blaison1945 — 18 August 1959244 days of the war
Type IXB submarine Particulars
Name
U-123
Pennant / hull number
1940
Builder
DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Ordered
15 December 1937
Laid down
15 April 1939
Launched
2 March 1940
Commissioned
30 May 1940
Decommissioned
17 June 1944
Fate
Scuttled at Lorient on 19 August 1944. Raised and later became the French submarine Blaison (1944)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,034 long tons (1,051 t)
Displacement, submerged
1,159 long tons (1,178 t)
Length
76.5 m (251 ft) OA
Beam
6.76 m (22.2 ft)
Draught
4.7 m (15.4 ft)
Speed
18.2 knots (33.7 km/h, 20.9 mph)
Range
12,000 nmi (22,224 km)
Complement
48
Main gun
105 mm (4.1 in)

U-123 was a Type IXB submarine built for the Kriegsmarine. She carried the pennant number 1940. DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen laid her keel on 15 April 1939. Launched on 2 March 1940, she entered service on 30 May 1940.

She was one of 14 ships of her class. The class followed the Type IXA submarine and was succeeded by the Type IXC submarine.

The boat displaced 1,034 long tons surfaced and 1,159 long tons submerged. She measured 76.5 m (251 ft) long with a beam of 6.8 m (22 ft). Her designed speed was 18.2 knots, and she carried a complement of 48.

Her main battery was one 105 mm (4.1 in) guns.

She served with the Kriegsmarine as U-123 until 17 June 1944. She then passed to the Marine Nationale, serving as Blaison from 1945. She was in commission for 1,725 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 17 June 1944.

She was scuttled on 19 August 1944. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × diesel engines
  • 2 × electric motors double-acting electric motors, 1000 PS
Power
  • 4400 PS (diesels)
  • 1000 PS (electric)
Armament
  • 6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)
  • 22 × 53.3 cm torpedoes
  • 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds)
  • 1 × 3.7 cm SK C/30 AA gun
  • 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns

Sister ships

Sources

  • Facts harvested from German submarine U-123 (1940) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Dietrich — This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project . The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive — CC BY-SA 3.0 de — Wikimedia Commons