SM UB-23

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-23.
SM UB-45 a u-boat similar to UB-23
Career (German Empire)
Name: UB-23
Ordered: 30 April 1915[1]
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg[1]
Yard number: 253[1]
Launched: 9 October 1915[1]
Commissioned: 13 March 1916[1]
Fate: interned at Corunna, Spain, 29 July 1917[2]
General characteristics
Class and 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 × Körting 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:6,450 nautical miles (11,950 km; 7,420 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: Imperial German Navy:
Flandern Flotilla
19 May 1916 – 29 Jul 1917
Commanders: Oblt Ernst Voigt[3]
13 Mar 1916 - 9 Nov 1916
Oblt Heinz Ziemer[4]
10 Nov 1916 - 5 Feb 1917
Oblt Herbert Lefholz[5]
6 Feb 1917 - 18 Feb 1917
Oblt Matthias Graf von Schmettow[6]
19 Feb 1917 - 19 Mar 1917
Oblt Hans Ewald Niemer[7]
20 Mar 1917 - 29 Jul 1917
Operations: 21 patrols
Victories: 51 merchant ships sunk (33,880 gross register tons (GRT))
1 merchant ship damaged (419 gross register tons (GRT))

SM UB-23 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 9 October 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 13 March 1916 as SM UB-23.[Note 1] The submarine sank 49 ships in 21 patrols for a total of 28,228 gross register tons (GRT).[8] UB-23 was badly damaged by a depth charge attack by HMS PC-60 off the Lizard. UB-23 put in at Corunna, Spain, and was interned. On 22 January 1919 she was surrendered to France in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany and broken up in Cherbourg in July 1921.[2]

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[9]
4 July 1916 Queen Bee  United Kingdom 34 Sunk
5 July 1916 Annie Anderson  United Kingdom 77 Sunk
5 July 1916 Peep O’ Day  United Kingdom 52 Sunk
6 July 1916 Girl Bessie  United Kingdom 62 Sunk
6 July 1916 Nancy Hunnam  United Kingdom 58 Sunk
6 July 1916 Newark Castle  United Kingdom 85 Sunk
6 July 1916 Petunia  United Kingdom 58 Sunk
6 July 1916 Watchful  United Kingdom 52 Sunk
24 July 1916 Mary  Norway 560 Sunk
26 July 1916 Kentigern  Norway 796 Sunk
27 July 1916 Agenda  Norway 226 Sunk
28 July 1916 Andrew Ina  United Kingdom 50 Sunk
28 July 1916 Good Design  United Kingdom 40 Sunk
28 July 1916 Jane Stewart  United Kingdom 15 Sunk
28 July 1916 Janet Overstone  United Kingdom 15 Sunk
28 July 1916 Johan  United Kingdom 49 Sunk
28 July 1916 Renown  United Kingdom 61 Sunk
28 July 1916 Speedwell  United Kingdom 11 Sunk
28 July 1916 Spero Meliora  United Kingdom 11 Sunk
28 July 1916 Volunteer  United Kingdom 15 Sunk
3 September 1916 General Archinard  France 355 Sunk
6 September 1916 Britannia  United Kingdom 48 Sunk
7 September 1916 Emma  France 19 Sunk
7 September 1916 Farfadet  France 17 Sunk
7 September 1916 Jeanne D’Arc  France 17 Sunk
7 September 1916 Leonine  France 20 Sunk
8 September 1916 Marie Louise  France 157 Sunk
8 September 1916 Mayo  Spain 1,880 Sunk
9 September 1916 Gemma  Kingdom of Italy 3,111 Sunk
9 September 1916 Remora  France 92 Sunk
21 October 1916 Julia  France 166 Sunk
21 October 1916 Snestad  Norway 2,350 Sunk
23 October 1916 Alf  Denmark 196 Sunk
23 October 1916 Antoine Allosia  France 29 Sunk
23 October 1916 Saint Pierre  France 151 Sunk
23 October 1916 Venus II  Norway 784 Sunk
26 October 1916 Saint Yves  France 165 Sunk
30 November 1916 Gaete  France 170 Sunk
2 December 1916 Harpalus  United Kingdom 1,445 Sunk
4 December 1916 Nervion  Norway 1,921 Sunk
8 December 1916 Conch  United Kingdom 5,620 Sunk
7 January 1917 Brenda  United Kingdom 249 Sunk
2 February 1917 Gabrielle  France 1,410 Sunk
31 March 1917 Hestia  Netherlands 959 Sunk
31 March 1917 Lisbeth  Norway 1,621 Sunk
4 April 1917 Trevier  Belgium 3,006 Sunk
18 April 1917 Marcel  Belgium 24 Sunk
31 May 1917 Dirigo  United States 3,004 Sunk
2 June 1917 Prudence  United Kingdom 25 Sunk
5 June 1917 Laura Ann  United Kingdom 116 Sunk
30 June 1917 Ilston  United Kingdom 2,426 Sunk
4 July 1917 Gloire à Dieu  France 419 Damaged

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.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Rössler 1979, p. 64.
  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 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 Gröner 1985, p. 50.
  3. ↑ "Ernst Voigt (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Heinz Ziemer". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Herbert Lefholz". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Matthias Graf von Schmettow (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hans Ewald Niemer". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Bendert 2000, p. 195.
  9. ↑ "SM UB-23 successes". UBoat.net. Retrieved 29 January 2015.

Bibliography

  • Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe, 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
  • 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). U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 - 1945. Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften (in German) I (Munich: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.