SM UB-18
 SM UB-45 a u-boat similar to UB-18 | |
| Career (German Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | UB-18 |
| Ordered: | 30 April 1915[1] |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg[1] |
| Yard number: | 248[1] |
| Launched: | 21 August 1915[1] |
| Completed: | 10 December 1915[1] |
| Commissioned: | 11 December 1915[2] |
| Fate: | rammed and sunk, 9 December 1917[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | German Type UB II submarine |
| Displacement: |
263 t (259 long tons) surfaced[2] 292 t (287 long tons) submerged[2] |
| Length: | 36.13 m (118 ft 6 in)[2] |
| Beam: | 436 m (1,430 ft 5 in)[2] |
| Draft: | 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)[2] |
| Propulsion: |
2 × propeller shafts 2 × Daimler four-stroke diesel engines, 284 shp (212 kW)[2] 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motor, 280 shp (210 kW)[2] |
| Speed: |
9.15 knots (16.95 km/h) surfaced[2] 5.81 knots (10.76 km/h) submerged[2] |
| Range: |
6,650 nautical miles (12,320 km; 7,650 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced[2] 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi) at 4 knots submerged[2] |
| Test depth: | 50 m (160 ft)[2] |
| Complement: | 2 officers, 21 men[2] |
| Armament: |
2 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes[2] 4 × torpedoes (later 6) 1 × 5 cm SK L/40 gun[2] |
| Notes: | 45-second diving time[2] |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
German Imperial Navy: Flanders Flotilla |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Franz Wäger (11 December 1915–15 February 1916) Oblt.z.S. Otto Steinbrinck (16 February 1916–27 October 1916) Oblt.z.S. Claus Lafrenz (28 October 1916–7 July 1917) Oblt.z.S. Ulrich Meier (8 July 1917–21 September 1917) Oblt.z.S. Georg Niemeyer (22 September–9 December 1917 |
| Operations: | 31 |
| Victories: | 130 |
SM UB-18 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 30 April 1915 and launched on 21 August 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 December 1915 as SM UB-18.[Note 1] The submarine sank 130 ships in 31 patrols for a total of 128,604 gross register tons (GRT)[3] making her the 13th most successful U-boat in both world wars.[4] UB-18 was rammed by the trawler Ben Lawer and sunk in the English Channel at 49°17′N 5°47′W / 49.283°N 5.783°WCoordinates: 49°17′N 5°47′W / 49.283°N 5.783°W on 9 December 1917.[2]
Service history
Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Franz Wäger took command of UB-18 upon commissioning on 11 December 1915. Wäger handed over command to Oblt.z.S. Otto Steinbrinck,[Note 2] who sailed her to Zeebrugge, arriving on 16 February, the first U-boat of the type to be based there.[5]
1st War Patrol
At the end of February 1916, UB-18 left Zeebrugge for the approaches to Le Havre. On 26 February she launched a torpedo hitting the French steamer SS Charbutier, whose sinking was not observed. The attack on the French minesweeper Au Revoir was more successful, sinking the 20-year old ship of 1,058 LT (1,075 t), killing 18 crew members. UB-18 returned to base arriving there 29 February 1916.[5]
2nd War Patrol
On 4 March 1916 UB-18 provided flank cover for a German fleet sortie against the English east coast.[5]
3rd War Patrol
From 7–11 March 1916, UB-18 operated against Allied shipping off Boulogne and Le Havre. On 8 March, she sunk a British steamer, SS Harmatris, and the following day, a Norwegian freighter, the Silius, and a French steamer, SS Louisane, fell victims to UB-18's torpedoes.[5]
4th War Patrol
On 21 March 1916, UB-18 left Zeebrugge again for the Le Havre area, where she successfully attacked ships lying in the roads. Two ships, the British freighter SS Kelvinbank, and the Norwegian steamer SS Kannik were hit by torpedoes and sank. The two reloads did not show any hits. UB-18 returned to Zeebrugge, arriving on 29 March 1916. That day, the Flanders Flotilla was formed, and Steinbrinck was awarded the coveted Pour le Mérite order.[6]
Raiding career
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 February 1916 | Au Revoir |  France |
1,058 | sunk, 18 killed | |
| 8 March 1916 | SS Harmatris |  United Kingdom |
6,387 | sunk | |
| 9 March 1916 | Silius |  Norway |
1,559 | sunk | |
| 9 March 1916 | SS Louisane | France |
5,109 | sunk | |
| 22 March 1916 | SS Kevlinbank | United Kingdom |
4,209 | sunk | |
| 22 March 1916 | SS Kennik | Norway |
2,372 | sunk |
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.
- ↑ Steinbrinck was the most successful of the Flanders U-boat commanders. After the war he joined the Flick group and became a leading industrialist. In 1933 he joined the Freundeskreis Reichsführer-SS. He was indicted in the Flick Trial at Nuremberg in 1947 and found guilty of membership in a criminal organisation.
References
Bibliography
- Gröner, Erich (1985). "U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher". Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe, 1815-1945 III (Koblenz: Bernhard&Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Bendert, Harald (2000). Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal. Hamburg: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH. ISBN 3-8132-0713-7.
- Rössler, Eberhard (1979). "U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 - 1945". Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften I (Munich: Bernhard&Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
- "Most Successful U-boats". Retrieved 25 May 2013.
| ||||||||