SM UB-115

Last updated

UB 148 at sea 2.jpeg
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-115.
History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameUB-115
Ordered6 / 8 February 1917 [1]
Builder Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number321
Launched4 November 1917 [2]
Commissioned28 May 1918 [2]
FateSunk 29 September 1918 by British warships and aircraft at 55°13′N1°22′W / 55.217°N 1.367°W / 55.217; -1.367 [2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type Type UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 519  t (511 long tons) surfaced
  • 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) surfaced
  • 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range
  • 7,420  nmi (13,740 km; 8,540 mi) at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) surfaced
  • 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement3 officers, 31 men [2]
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Reinhold Thomsen [3]
  • 28 May – 29 September 1918
Operations: 2 patrols
Victories: 1 merchant ship sunk
(336  GRT)

SM UB-115 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German : Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 May 1918 as SM UB-115. [Note 1] She was the only German submarine commissioned with the number 115.

Contents

UB-115 was sunk by British warships, including HMS Ouse and HMS Star, and the rigid airship R29 at 55°13′N1°22′W / 55.217°N 1.367°W / 55.217; -1.367 using depth charges and aerial bombs. [2]

Construction

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 4 November 1917. UB-115 was commissioned in the spring the next year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Reinhold Thomsen. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-115 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-115 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-115 had a displacement of 519  t (511 long tons) while surfaced and 649 t (639 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

Fate

On 29 September 1918 while under the command of Reinhold Thomsen, UB-115 was engaged by armed trawlers (amongst others Viola), the airship R29, HMS Ouse and HMS Star. UB-115 was depth charged until destroyed and went down at position 55°14′46″N1°22′45″W / 55.24611°N 1.37917°W / 55.24611; -1.37917 (WGS84), about 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km; 5.2 mi) northeast of Beacon Point, Newton-by-the-Sea, off Northumberland. All 39 men aboard the submarine died in the attack and sinking. [4] [5]

UB-115's wreck lies in two pieces and is covered in soft corals and an accretion formed from fly ash from a local power plant. [4]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 2] Fate [6]
21 September 1918 Staithes Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 336Sunk

Related Research Articles

SM <i>UB-81</i>

SM UB-81 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 September 1917 as SM UB-81.

SM UB-23 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 30 April 1915 and launched on 9 October 1915. She was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 13 March 1916 as SM UB-23. The submarine sank 51 ships in 21 patrols for a total of 33,880 gross register tons (GRT). On 26 July 1917, UB-23 was badly damaged by a depth charge attack by HMS PC-60 off the Lizard; she put in at Corunna, Spain, on 29 July 1917 and was interned. On 22 January 1919 she was surrendered to France in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany, and she was broken up in Cherbourg in July 1921.

SM UB-30 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 16 November 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 March 1916 as SM UB-30.

SM UB-31 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 16 November 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 25 March 1916 as SM UB-31.

SM UB-35 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 28 December 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 22 June 1916 as SM UB-35.

SM UB-68 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 May 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 October 1917 as SM UB-68. The submarine conducted five patrols and sank five ships during the war. Under the command of Karl Dönitz, on 4 October 1918 UB-68 encountered technical problems and had to surface where she was sunk by gunfire at 33°56′N16°20′E. There was one dead and thirty-three survivors. Other sources name the British warships involved in the sinking of UB-68 as HMS Snapdragon and HMS Cradosin, and claim four crew members died in the event.

SM <i>UB-58</i>

SM UB-58 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the Flanders Flotilla of the German Imperial Navy on 10 August 1917 as SM UB-58.

SM <i>UB-63</i>

SM UB-63 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 23 July 1917 as SM UB-63.

SM <i>UB-64</i> German submarine

SM UB-64 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 August 1917 as SM UB-64.

SM <i>UB-72</i>

SM UB-72 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 9 September 1917 as SM UB-72.

SM <i>UB-73</i> German Imperial Navy submarine

SM UB-73 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 October 1917 as SM UB-73.

SM <i>UB-78</i>

SM UB-78 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 20 October 1917 as SM UB-78. Mined off Dover on 19 April 1918 all 35 crew lost.

SM <i>UB-82</i>

SM UB-82 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 8 September 1917 as SM UB-82.

SM <i>UB-83</i>

SM UB-83 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 15 October 1917 as SM UB-83.

SM <i>UB-87</i>

SM UB-87 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 27 December 1917 as SM UB-87.

SM <i>UB-90</i>

SM UB-90 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 21 March 1918 as SM UB-90.

SM <i>UB-92</i> Submarine of the German Imperial Navy

SM UB-92 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 27 April 1918 as SM UB-92.

SM <i>UB-124</i>

SM UB-124 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 22 April 1918 as SM UB-124.

SM <i>UB-125</i>

SM UB-125 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 May 1918 as SM UB-125.

SM <i>UB-126</i>

SM UB-126 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 20 April 1918 as SM UB-126.

References

Notes

  1. "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. Rössler 1979, p. 66.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Reinhold Thomsen". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: UB 115". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  5. MHSC. "Viola-Dias, War, Distant Waters and the Hull Fishing Industry in Both World Wars" (PDF). MHSC Maritime Historical Studies Centre. University of Hull. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 115". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

Bibliography