UB-86 washed ashore 1921 |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | AG Weser, Bremen Blohm & Voss, Hamburg Vulcan, Hamburg Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Operators: | Kaiserliche Marine |
| Preceded by: | UB II |
| Built: | 1916–1918 |
| In commission: | 1917–1918 |
| Completed: | 95 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Coastal submarine |
| Displacement: | 516 long tons (524 t) surfaced 651 long tons (661 t) submerged |
| Length: | 55.3 m (181 ft) o/a |
| Beam: | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Draught: | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,100 hp (820 kW) Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 788 hp (588 kW) |
| Speed: | 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 8,500 mi (13,700 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced 55 mi (89 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement: | 34 men |
| Armament: | • 4 × 50 cm (19.7 in) bow torpedo tubes • 1 × stern tube (10 torpedoes) • 1 × 88 mm or 105 mm deck gun |
The Type UB III submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.
UB III boats carried 10 torpedoes and were armed with one 88 mm deck gun. They carried a crew of 34 and had a cruising range of around 9,000 miles. Between 1916 and 1918 96 were built[1].
The UB III type coastal submarine, despite being a submersible torpedo boat was less akin to UB-II type "attack" (i.e. torpedo-launching) boats that preceded it than the highly successful UC-II type minelaying submarine. The UC-IIs had gained their fearsome reputation by sinking more than 1800 Allied and neutral vessels[2]. German engineers did not miss the chance of expanding the potential of this capable design by incorporating some of her features into a new submersible torpedo boat.
The UB-IIIs joined the conflict during the first days of the year 1917, at a time when the tide of the war was turning against Germany. In the months that followed, the United States Navy was added to the ranks of their enemies; and the convoy system was introduced, making it difficult to engage enemy merchant shipping without being spotted by destroyer escorts[3]. Nevertheless, the UB-IIIs performed their duties with distinction, sinking 567 ships before the end of hostilities.
Germany was prohibited from acquiring a new submarine force by the Treaty of Versailles, but her admirals had no intention of allowing their nation to forget how to construct submarines. Germany started to manufacture and to export slightly modified versions of UB-IIs and UB-IIIs. Having kept the skills of their engineers polished by this means, they eventually ordered the construction of a new coastal submarine. The resulting design was an improved UB-III that had the benefit of new, all-welded construction techniques and an array of electronic and electromechanical gadgets: The famous Type VII submarine, the most common U-boat of the Kriegsmarine, was born[4].
There were 95 Type UB III submarines commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine.
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