SM UB-117

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-117.

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-117.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-117
Ordered	6 / 8 February 1917 [1]
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost	3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	323
Launched	21 November 1917 [2]
Commissioned	6 May 1918 [2]
Fate	Surrendered 26 November 1918, broken up in 1919 / 20 [2]
General characteristics [2]
Class & type	Type UB III submarine
Displacement	519  t (511 long tons) surfaced 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length	55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shaft 2 × MAN-Vulcan four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,085  bhp (809 kW) 2 × AEG electric motors, 780  shp (580 kW)
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 depth	50 m (160 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 31 men [2]
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 10 torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of	Flandern I Flotilla 24 August – 4 October 1918 II Flotilla 4 October – 11 November 1918
Commanders	Kptlt. Erwin Waßner [3] 6 June – 11 November 1918
Operations	3 patrols
Victories	5 merchant ships sunk (9,342  GRT)

SM UB-117 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the Imperial German Navy during World War I. She was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 6 May 1918 as SM UB-117. ^{[Note 1]}

UB-117 was surrendered to the British on 26 November 1918 and broken up in Felixstowe in 1919 / 20. ^[2]

Construction

Main article: Type UB III submarine

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 21 November 1917. UB-117 was commissioned in the spring the next year under the command of Kptlt. Erwin Waßner. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-117 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-117 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-117 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.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage [Note 2]	Fate [4]
16 September 1918	Acadian	United Kingdom	2,305	Sunk
17 September 1918	Lavernock	United Kingdom	2,406	Sunk
18 September 1918	Buffalo	France	2,359	Sunk
18 September 1918	John O. Scott	United Kingdom	1,235	Sunk
18 September 1918	Primo	United Kingdom	1,037	Sunk

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. Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Erwin Waßner (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 117". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

Bibliography

• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-593-4.
• Bendert, Harald (2000). Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal (in German). Hamburg: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH. ISBN   3-8132-0713-7.
• Rössler, Eberhard (1979). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN   3-7637-5213-7.