SM UB-131

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-131.
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-131.
Career (German Empire)
Name: UB-131
Ordered: 6/8 February 1917[1]
Builder: AG Weser, Bremen[2]
Cost: 3,654,000 German Papiermark[2]
Yard number: 304[2]
Launched: 4 June 1918[3]
Commissioned: 4 July 1918[3]
Fate: Surrendered 24 November 1918.[3]
General characteristics
Class and type:German Type UB III submarine
Type:Coastal submarine
Displacement:512 t (504 long tons; 564 short tons) surfaced
643 t (633 long tons; 709 short tons) submerged[2]
Length:55.85 m (183.2 ft) o/a[2]
Beam:5.8 m (19 ft)[2]
Draught:3.72 m (12.2 ft)[2]
Propulsion:2 shafts
6-cylinder Benz diesel engines,[4] 1,060 ihp (790 kW)
Schiffsunion[4] electric motors, 788 ihp (588 kW)[2]
Speed:13.9 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) surfaced
7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged[2]
Range:7,280 nmi (13,480 km; 8,380 mi) at 6 kn (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) surfaced
55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged[2]
Test depth:50 m (160 ft)[4]
Complement:3 officers, 31 men[4]
Armament:• 5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) with 10 torpedoes
• 1 × 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun[4]
Service record
Commanders: Kptlt Gerhard Schulz[5]
4 Jul 1918 – 11 Nov 1918
Operations: No patrols
Victories: None

SM UB-131 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 4 July 1918 as SM UB-131.[nb 1]

UB-131 was surrendered on 24 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany.[3]

Construction

She was built by AG Weser of Bremen[2] and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 4 June 1918. UB-131 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Kptlt Gerhard Schulz. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-131 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-131 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,280 nautical miles (13,480 km).[2] UB-131 had a displacement of 512 t (504 long tons; 564 short tons) while surfaced and 643 t (633 long tons; 709 short tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.9 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) when surfaced and 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) when submerged.[2]

Notes

Footnotes
  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.
Citations
  1. Rössler 1979, p. 55.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 Gröner 1985, p. 52.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gröner 1985, p. 55.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Gröner 1985, p. 53.
  5. "Gerhard Schulz". Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 March 2015.

References