SM UB-104

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-104.
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-104.
History
German Empire
Name: UB-104
Ordered: 6/8 February 1917[1]
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost: 3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number: 310
Launched: 1 September 1917[2]
Commissioned: 15 March 1918[2]
Fate: sunk by mine on 19 September 1918[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class & type: German Type UB III submarine
Displacement:
  • 519 t (511 long tons) surfaced
  • 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length: 55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam: 5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) surfaced
  • 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 7,420 nmi (13,740 km; 8,540 mi) at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) surfaced
  • 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: 50 m (160 ft)
Complement: 3 officers, 31 men[2]
Armament:
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Ernst Berlin[3]
  • 15 March – 26 July 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Thomas Bieber[4]
  • 27 July – 21 September 1918
Operations: 3 patrols
Victories: 11 merchant ships sunk (15,958 GRT)

SM UB-104 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 15 March 1918 as SM UB-104.[nb 1]

UB-104 was sunk by mine in at the Northern Barrage on 19 September 1918.[2]

Construction

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 1 September 1917. UB-104 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Ernst Berlin. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-104 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-104 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-104 had a displacement of 519 t (511 long tons) while surfaced and 649 t (639 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)
Fate[5]
2 August 1918 Flevo X  Netherlands 111 Sunk
2 August 1918 Remke  Netherlands 193 Sunk
3 August 1918 Cambrai  France 963 Sunk
13 August 1918 Frida  Denmark 395 Sunk
13 August 1918 Jönköping 1  Sweden 1,546 Sunk
14 August 1918 Wallsend  United Kingdom 2,697 Sunk
14 September 1918 Gibel Hamam  United Kingdom 647 Sunk
15 September 1918 Kendal Castle  United Kingdom 3,885 Sunk
16 September 1918 Ethel  United Kingdom 2,336 Sunk
16 September 1918 Lord Stewart  United Kingdom 1,445 Sunk
17 September 1918 Ursa  Sweden 1,740 Sunk

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. Rössler 1979, p. 66.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ernst Berlin". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Thomas Bieber (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB-104". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.

Bibliography

  • 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. 
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel (London: Conway Maritime Press). ISBN 0-85177-593-4. 
  • 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. 

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