Type 87 was a class of

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s built during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

by the

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

. Type 87 U-boats carried 16

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es and had various arrangements of deck guns. ''U 87'' and ''U 89'' had one 10.5 cm/45 and one 8.8 cm deck gun, U 88 was probably equally armed. ''U 90'' - ''U 92'' were armed with one 10.5 cm/45 gun (140-240 rounds). They carried a crew of 36 and had excellent seagoing abilities with a cruising range of approximately . Many arrangements from the Type 81, 87, and 93 were also seen on the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Type IX The Type IX U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern Un ...

U-boats when their design work took place 20 years later. Compared to the previous type 81, the 87s were shorter, while the pressure hull was shortened . They were slower on the surface, and slower submerged, but increased range by to at 8 knots. They carried 16

es instead of 12. As with the previous type, there was a mixture of guns. Crew size was increased by 1 to 36. Compared to the following type 93, the 87s were shorter, with the pressure hull shorter and 105 tons lighter. Their range was longer, but speed was slower on the surface and unchanged submerged. Type 87 boats were responsible for sinking 2.218% of all allied shipping sunk during the war, taking a total of 284,961 combined tons. They also damaged 36,595 combined tons.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Type U 087 U-Boat Submarine classes World War I submarines of Germany German Type U 87 submarines