SM UB-55
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-55. | |
| Career (German Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | UB-55 |
| Ordered: | 20 May 1916[1] |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen[2] |
| Cost: | 3,276,000 German Papiermark[2] |
| Yard number: | 267[2] |
| Launched: | 9 May 1917[3] |
| Commissioned: | 1 July 1917[3] |
| Fate: | sunk 22 April 1918 at 50°59′N 01°20′E / 50.983°N 1.333°ECoordinates: 50°59′N 01°20′E / 50.983°N 1.333°E by mines, 30 dead[3] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | German Type UB III submarine |
| Type: | Coastal submarine |
| Displacement: | 516 t (508 long tons; 569 short tons) surfaced 646 t (636 long tons; 712 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 Körting diesel engines,[3] 1,060 ihp (790 kW) Siemens-Schuckert[3] electric motors, 788 ihp (588 kW)[2] |
| Speed: | 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged[2] |
| Range: | 9,020 nmi (16,710 km; 10,380 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)[3] |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 31 men[3] |
| Armament: | • 5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) with 10 torpedoes • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun[3] |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
Flandern Flotilla 30 Aug 1917 - 22 Apr 1918 |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt Ralph Wenninger 1 Jul 1917 - 22 Apr 1918 |
| Operations: | 7 patrols |
| Victories: |
21 merchant ships sunk (26,598 gross register tons (GRT)) 2 merchant ships damaged 12,809 gross register tons (GRT) |
SM UB-55 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 1 July 1917 as SM UB-55.[nb 1]
She operated as part of the Flanders Flotilla based in Zeebrugge. UB-55 was sunk at 05:05 on 22 April 1918 at 51°01′N 01°20′E / 51.017°N 1.333°E after striking a mine, 30 crew members lost their lives in the event.[3]
Construction
She was built by AG Weser, Bremen[2] and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 9 May 1917. UB-55 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kptlt Ralph Wenninger.
Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-55 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-55 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).[2] UB-55 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons; 569 short 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.[2]
Summary of Raiding Career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 November 1917 | Clan Cumming |  United Kingdom |
4,808 | Damaged |
| 7 December 1917 | Proba | United Kingdom |
105 | Sunk |
| 8 December 1917 | Corinto |  Norway |
999 | Sunk |
| 11 December 1917 | Argus |  Portugal |
100 | Sunk |
| 11 December 1917 | Ligeiro | Portugal |
25 | Sunk |
| 11 December 1917 | A Portuguesa | Portugal |
107 | Sunk |
| 11 December 1917 | Vigneira | Portugal |
25 | Sunk |
| 16 December 1917 | Foylemore | United Kingdom |
3,831 | Sunk |
| 25 January 1918 | Eastlands | United Kingdom |
3,113 | Sunk |
| 26 January 1918 | Manhattan | United Kingdom |
8,001 | Damaged |
| 29 January 1918 | Addax | United Kingdom |
40 | Sunk |
| 29 January 1918 | General Leman | United Kingdom |
57 | Sunk |
| 29 January 1918 | Ibex | United Kingdom |
42 | Sunk |
| 29 January 1918 | Perriton | United Kingdom |
90 | Sunk |
| 29 January 1918 | Perseverance | United Kingdom |
51 | Sunk |
| 30 January 1918 | Wellholme | United Kingdom |
113 | Sunk |
| 14 March 1918 | A. A. Raven |  United States |
2,459 | Sunk |
| 21 March 1918 | Begonia | United Kingdom |
3,070 | Sunk |
| 23 March 1918 | Chattahoochee | United States |
8,007 | Sunk |
| 23 March 1918 | Madame Midas | United Kingdom |
1,203 | Sunk |
| 23 March 1918 | Mar Baltico |  Spain |
2,023 | Sunk |
| 23 March 1918 | Venborg | Norway |
1,065 | Sunk |
| 24 March 1918 | Fileur |  France |
73 | Sunk |
Notes
- Footnotes
- ↑ "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
References
- 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.