Type U 87 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 81 submarines. The first of its type, U-87 had a displacement of 757t when at the surface and 998t while submerged. She had a total length of 65.8m (215.9feet), a pressure hull length of 50.07m (164.27feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.35m (30.68feet), and a draught of 3.88m (12.73feet). The submarine was powered by two 2400PS engines for use while surfaced, and two 1200PS engines for use while submerged. She had two propeller shafts. She was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-87 was fitted with four torpedo tubes (two at the bow and two at the stern), ten to twelve torpedoes, one 10.5sp=usNaNsp=us SK L/45 deck gun, and one 8.8sp=usNaNsp=us SK L/30 deck gun. She had a complement of thirty-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers).
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[2] | Fate[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1917 | Bernisse |  Netherlands | 951 | Damaged | |
| 23 May 1917 | Elve | Netherlands | 962 | Sunk | |
| 26 May 1917 | Lucipara | 1,943 | Sunk | ||
| 26 May 1917 | Saint Mirren |  United Kingdom | 1,956 | Sunk | |
| 30 May 1917 | Bathurst | United Kingdom | 2,821 | Sunk | |
| 30 May 1917 | Hanley | United Kingdom | 3,331 | Sunk | |
| 2 June 1917 | Eliofilo | 3,583 | Sunk | ||
| 2 June 1917 | Mississippi |  France | 6,687 | Damaged | |
| 4 July 1917 | Loch Katrine | United Kingdom | 151 | Sunk | |
| 8 July 1917 | Valetta | United Kingdom | 5,871 | Sunk | |
| 10 July 1917 | Seang Choon | United Kingdom | 5,807 | Sunk | |
| 11 July 1917 | Kioto | United Kingdom | 6,182 | Sunk | |
| 12 July 1917 | Castleton | United Kingdom | 2,395 | Sunk | |
| 16 July 1917 | Tamele | United Kingdom | 3,932 | Sunk | |
| 19 July 1917 | Artensis |  Norway | 1,788 | Sunk | |
| 21 July 1917 | Coniston Water | United Kingdom | 3,738 | Sunk | |
| 19 August 1917 | Eika II | Norway | 1,268 | Sunk | |
| 21 August 1917 | United Kingdom | 2,296 | Sunk | ||
| 22 August 1917 | Alexander Shukoff |  Denmark | 1,652 | Sunk | |
| 27 August 1917 | Anna | Denmark | 1,211 | Sunk | |
| 27 August 1917 | Aurora | Denmark | 768 | Sunk | |
| 13 December 1917 | Little Gem | United Kingdom | 114 | Sunk | |
| 24 December 1917 | Daybreak | United Kingdom | 3,238 | Sunk | |
| 25 December 1917 | Agberi | United Kingdom | 4,821 | Sunk |
In August 2017, researchers from Bangor University in Wales announced they had discovered the sunken wreck of U-87 while conducting multibeam surveys 10 miles northwest of Bardsey Island as part of the marine renewable energy SEACAMS 2 project.[4] [5] Detailed sonar images reveal the wreck to be lying in one piece with what appears to be a large area of damage near the conning tower, presumably caused by in the ramming collision by escort P.56.