SM UB-72

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-72.

History
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-72.
German Empire
Name:	UB-72
Ordered:	23 September 1916^[1]
Builder:	AG Vulcan, Hamburg
Cost:	3,337,000 German Papiermark
Yard number:	96
Launched:	30 July 1917^[2]
Commissioned:	9 September 1917^[2]
Fate:	Sunk 12 May 1918 at 50°8′N 2°41′W / 50.133°N 2.683°W / 50.133; -2.683Coordinates: 50°8′N 2°41′W / 50.133°N 2.683°W / 50.133; -2.683 by British submarine.^[2]
General characteristics ^[2]
Class & type:	German Type UB III submarine
Displacement:	508 t (500 long tons) surfaced 639 t (629 long tons) submerged
Length:	55.52 m (182 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Beam:	5.76 m (18 ft 11 in)
Draught:	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion:	2 × propeller shaft 2 × MAN four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,085 bhp (809 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW)
Speed:	13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range:	8,420 nmi (15,590 km; 9,690 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:	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) with 10 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	V Flotilla 28 October 1916 – 25 April 1917 II Flotilla 25 April 1917 – 12 May 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Walter Creutzfeld^[3] 9 September 1917 – 1 March 1918 Oblt.z.S. Friedrich Traeger^[4] 2 March – 12 May 1918
Operations:	5 patrols
Victories:	5 merchant ships sunk (10,551 GRT) 1 merchant ships damaged (3,358 GRT)

SM UB-72 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 9 September 1917 as SM UB-72.^{[nb 1]}

UB-72 was serving in the English Channel when she was sunk by a torpedo from HMS D4 at 50°8′N 2°41′W / 50.133°N 2.683°W / 50.133; -2.683 on 12 May 1918.^[2]

Construction

Main article: German Type UB III submarine

She was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 30 July 1917. UB-72 was commissioned later that same year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-72 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-72 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,420 nautical miles (15,590 km; 9,690 mi). UB-72 had a displacement of 508 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 639 t (629 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) when surfaced and 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[5]
3 February 1918	Svanfos	Norway	896	Sunk
28 March 1918	HMS Tithonus	Royal Navy	3,463	Sunk
30 March 1918	Vafos	Norway	1,322	Sunk
6 May 1918	Sandhurst	United Kingdom	3,034	Sunk
8 May 1918	Quito	United Kingdom	3,358	Damaged
9 May 1918	Baron Ailsa	United Kingdom	1,836	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.

References

↑ Rössler 1979, p. 61.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Walter Creutzfeld". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Traeger". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB-72". German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 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.

German Type UB III submarines

SM UB-48 SM UB-49 SM UB-50 SM UB-51 SM UB-52 SM UB-53 SM UB-54 SM UB-55 SM UB-56 SM UB-57 SM UB-58 SM UB-59 SM UB-60 SM UB-61 SM UB-62 SM UB-63 SM UB-64 SM UB-65 SM UB-66 SM UB-67 SM UB-68 SM UB-69 SM UB-70 SM UB-71 SM UB-72 SM UB-73 SM UB-74 SM UB-75 SM UB-76 SM UB-77 SM UB-78 SM UB-79 SM UB-80 SM UB-81 SM UB-82 SM UB-83 SM UB-84 SM UB-85 SM UB-86 SM UB-87 SM UB-88 SM UB-89 SM UB-90 SM UB-91 SM UB-92 SM UB-93 SM UB-94 SM UB-95 SM UB-96 SM UB-97 SM UB-98 SM UB-99 SM UB-100 SM UB-101 SM UB-102 SM UB-103 SM UB-104 SM UB-105 SM UB-106 SM UB-107 SM UB-108 SM UB-109 SM UB-110 SM UB-111 SM UB-112 SM UB-113 SM UB-114 SM UB-115 SM UB-116 SM UB-117 SM UB-118 SM UB-119 SM UB-120 SM UB-121 SM UB-122 SM UB-123 SM UB-124 SM UB-125 SM UB-126 SM UB-127 SM UB-128 SM UB-129 SM UB-130 SM UB-131 SM UB-132 SM UB-133 SM UB-136 SM UB-142 SM UB-143 SM UB-144 SM UB-145 SM UB-148 SM UB-149 SM UB-150 SM UB-154 SM UB-155

Preceded by: Type UB II Followed by: Type VII (World War II)

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