From the outset the U-20 and its sisters were not wholly valued by Austro-Hungarian naval commanders due to their rather obsolete nature. Nevertheless, the boats were readily available and could be produced in short order - any attack submarine was better than none at this point in the growing war. The design was a compact one as submarines went, relying on a modestly-sized crew with limited inherent offensive capabilities with acceptable performance figures.
Her baptism was swift to get her to the fighting front but her early days were marred by a collision with Admiral Spaun, an Austro-Hungarian light cruiser during a March 1917 trial run. This forced her into repairs which lasted some seven months - and thus delayed her commissioning date until later in the year. Patrol work greeted her early going as the boat saw no notable action during its tours in the Adriatic Sea. The Italian Navy submarine F-12 identified U-20 as a potential target during early July 1918 and sent U-20 underwater. Finally forced to surface, U-20 was torpedoed by aggressor which caused catastrophic damage to the Austro-Hungarian boat - leading to her sinking on July 4th, none aboard were spared. It was not until the 1960s that her remains were located and portions raised while other components were scrapped.
Her recovered conning tower resides at the Museum of Military History in Vienna, Austria.
The failed U-20-class was itself succeeded by the wartime U-27-class based on a German design. This group numbered eight boats and, again, two were lost - though only one during the war itself. Production of these units spanned 196 to 1917 and featured similar crew sizes and armament while managing slightly better war records than the U-20 group - which failed to sink any enemy vessels for their part in the conflict. U-23 was the other U-20-class boat lost during World War 1. The remaining two were given up as war prizes following the November 1918 Armistice.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.