SM UB-56

	UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-56.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-56
Ordered	20 May 1916
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Cost	3,276,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	268
Laid down	5 September 1916
Launched	6 June 1917
Commissioned	19 July 1917
Fate	Sunk 19 December 1917 at 50°58′N01°21′E / 50.967°N 1.350°E by a mine, 37 dead
General characteristics
Class and type	Type UB III submarine
Displacement	516 t (508 long tons) surfaced; 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) submerged;
Length	55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught	3.72 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shaft ; 2 × Körting four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,050 bhp (780 kW); 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW);
Speed	13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced; 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged;
Range	9,020 nmi (16,710 km; 10,380 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
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern); 10 torpedoes ; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun ;
Service record
Part of:	Flandern I Flotilla; 10 September – 19 December 1917;
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Hans Valentier; 19 July – 19 December 1917;
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	4 merchant ships sunk ; (5,387 GRT)

Last updated October 21, 2024

SM UB-56 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 Flanders Flotilla of the German Imperial Navy on 19 July 1917 as SM UB-56.^{[Note 1]}

Construction

She was built by AG Weser, Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 6 June 1917. UB-56 was commissioned later that same year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-56 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-56 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 9,020 nautical miles (16,710 km; 10,380 mi). UB-56 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons) while surfaced and 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) when surfaced and 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 2]}	Fate^[5]
13 November 1917	Atlas	United Kingdom	989	Sunk
13 November 1917	Axwell	United Kingdom	1,442	Sunk
17 November 1917	Lalen Mendi	Spain	2,183	Sunk
21 November 1917	Maine	France	773	Sunk

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References

Notes

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

Citations

↑ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 56". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Valentiner (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 56". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

Bibliography

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.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
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.

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[5] "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

[tonnage-6] Tonnages are in gross register tons

[FOOTNOTERössler197955-1] Rössler 1979, p. 55.

[uboatnet-2] Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 56". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 July 2014.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199125–30-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.

[4] Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Valentiner (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

[7] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 56". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

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[4]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[5]

v t e Type UB III submarines
SM UB-48 SM UB-49 SM UB-50 SM UB-51 SM UB-52 SM UB-53 SM UB-54 SM UB-55 SM UB-56 SM UB-57 SM UB-58 SM UB-59 SM UB-60 SM UB-61 SM UB-62 SM UB-63 SM UB-64 SM UB-65 SM UB-66 SM UB-67 SM UB-68 SM UB-69 SM UB-70 SM UB-71 SM UB-72 SM UB-73 SM UB-74 SM UB-75 SM UB-76 SM UB-77 SM UB-78 SM UB-79 SM UB-80 SM UB-81 SM UB-82 SM UB-83 SM UB-84 SM UB-85 SM UB-86 SM UB-87 SM UB-88 SM UB-89 SM UB-90 SM UB-91 SM UB-92 SM UB-93 SM UB-94 SM UB-95 SM UB-96 SM UB-97 SM UB-98 SM UB-99 SM UB-100 SM UB-101 SM UB-102 SM UB-103 SM UB-104 SM UB-105 SM UB-106 SM UB-107 SM UB-108 SM UB-109 SM UB-110 SM UB-111 SM UB-112 SM UB-113 SM UB-114 SM UB-115 SM UB-116 SM UB-117 SM UB-118 SM UB-119 SM UB-120 SM UB-121 SM UB-122 SM UB-123 SM UB-124 SM UB-125 SM UB-126 SM UB-127 SM UB-128 SM UB-129 SM UB-130 SM UB-131 SM UB-132 SM UB-133 SM UB-136 SM UB-142 SM UB-143 SM UB-144 SM UB-145 SM UB-148 SM UB-149 SM UB-150 SM UB-154 SM UB-155
Preceded by: Type UB II Followed by: Type VII (World War II)
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1917
Shipwrecks	1 Dec: Washington 2 Dec: SM UB-81 6 Dec: USS Jacob Jones, Mont-Blanc, SM UC-69 7 Dec: CGS Simcoe 8 Dec: USS Rush 9 Dec: SM UB-18 10 Dec: SM UB-75, SMS Wien 12 Dec: USS Elizabeth, HMS Partridge, HMS Wolverine, Florida 13 Dec: SM U-75, HMS Stephen Furness 14 Dec: Châteaurenault , SM UC-38 17 Dec: USS F-1 18 Dec: Mariposa 19 Dec: SM UB-56 24 Dec: HMS Penshurst 25 Dec: Ajax, Espagne, SM U-87 30 Dec: HMT Aragon, HMS Attack 31 Dec: USS Fli-Hawk, Vigrid, HMS Osmanieh
Other incidents	6 Dec: Halifax Explosion, Imo, Stella Maris , SM U-96 17 Dec: USS F-3 Unknown date: HMS Carysfort
1916 1917 1918 November 1917 January 1918

History
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-56.
German Empire
Name	UB-56
Ordered	20 May 1916^[1]
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Cost	3,276,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	268
Laid down	5 September 1916^[2]
Launched	6 June 1917^[3]
Commissioned	19 July 1917^[3]
Fate	Sunk 19 December 1917 at 50°58′N01°21′E / 50.967°N 1.350°E / 50.967; 1.350 by a mine, 37 dead^[3]
General characteristics ^[3]
Class and type	Type UB III submarine
Displacement	516 t (508 long tons) surfaced 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) submerged
Length	55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught	3.72 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shaft 2 × Körting four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,050 bhp (780 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW)
Speed	13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged
Range	9,020 nmi (16,710 km; 10,380 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^[3]
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 10 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Flandern I Flotilla 10 September – 19 December 1917
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Hans Valentier^[4] 19 July – 19 December 1917
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	4 merchant ships sunk (5,387 GRT)