SM UB-107

SM UB-107 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 16 February 1918 as SM UB-107.[Note 1]

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-107.
History
German Empire
Name: UB-107
Ordered: 6/8 February 1917[1]23 September 1913
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost: 3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number: 313
Launched: 21 July 1917[2]
Commissioned: 16 February 1918[2]
Fate: sunk 27 July 1918 by British warships at 54°23′N 0°24′W.[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and 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[3]
Part of:
  • Flandern II Flotilla
  • 16 May – 4 August 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Hans Howaldt
  • 16 February – 16 May 1918
  • Kptlt. Eberhard von Prittwitz und Gaffron
  • 17 May – 4 August 1918
Operations: 4 patrols
Victories:
  • 11 merchant ships sunk (26,147 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged (1,685 GRT)

The submarine conducted 4 patrols and sank 11 ships during the war for a total loss of 26,147 GRT. UB-107 was sunk on 27 July 1918 by HMS Vanessa (D29) and HMT Calvis at 54°23′N 0°24′W.[2]

Construction
Main article: German Type UB III submarine

UB-107 was ordered by the GIN on 23 September 1916. She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 21 July 1917. UB-107 was commissioned early the next year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-107 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-107 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-107 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.

Fate

The first recorded fate of UB-107 was noted as sunk by depth charge on July 27, 1918 by the Royal Navy trawler Calvis and HMY Vanessa II at position 57°23′N 00°24′W. It has since been argued that the UB-107 was probably not present for the attack by Calvis and Vanessa II as it was the only U-boat that could have been responsible for the sinking of steamers Chloris and John Rettig two and a half hours later at position 53°52′N 00°10′E.

SS Malvina on the River Thames

In 1985 divers discovered the wreck of UB-107 one mile north of Flamborough Head at position 54°08′N 00°00′W entangled with another wreck, the SS Malvina, a British steamer torpedoed and sunk on 3 August 1918 reported as being by UB-104, though UB-104's record says it was not in the area nor that it attacked a ship on that day. UB-107 was identified by the markings on her propellers.[4][5] It is suggested that either UB-107 suffered an accident of some sort or was lost on a British mine between July 28 and August 3, 1918 leaving all hands lost (38 dead).[3]

Summary of raiding history
Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 2] Fate[6]
10 May 1918 Erich Lea  Norway 1,630 Sunk
10 May 1918 Naparima  Sweden 1,685 Damaged
6 June 1918 Koningin Regentes  Netherlands 1,970 Sunk
8 June 1918 Hogarth  United Kingdom 1,231 Sunk
13 June 1918 Agnes  Sweden 1,334 Sunk
13 June 1918 Kalo  United Kingdom 1,957 Sunk
15 June 1918 Kieldrecht  United Kingdom 1,284 Sunk
8 July 1918 Chicago  United Kingdom 7,709 Sunk
8 July 1918 War Crocus  United Kingdom 5,296 Sunk
9 July 1918 Fryken  Sweden 943 Sunk
27 July 1918 Chloris  United Kingdom 984 Sunk
27 July 1918 John Rettig  Sweden 1,809 Sunk

Television Documentary

The fate of UB-107 was the subject of an episode of the documentary television series Deep Sea Detectives: "Mystery U-Boat of WWI". The documentary offered various scenarios for the sinking based on historical evidence and exploratory diving at the wreck site.[7]

References

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.
  2. Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations
  1. Rössler 1979, p. 66.
  2. Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 107". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  4. "UB-107 (Wreck)". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  5. "100 Best Wreck Dives THE MALVINA AND UB-107 – 49". divernet.com. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 107". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  7. http://www.tv.com/shows/deep-sea-detectives/mystery-u-boat-of-world-war-i-1066625/

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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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