SM UB-106 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 7 February 1918 as SM UB-104.[Note 1]

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-106.
History
German Empire
NameUB-106
Ordered6 / 8 February 1917[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number312
Launched21 July 1917[2]
Commissioned7 February 1918[2]
FateSunk 15 March 1918, later raised; surrendered 26 November 1918; used for explosive trials and dumped on beach 1921; sold for scrap 1921
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeType UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 519 t (511 long tons) surfaced
  • 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.70 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 depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement3 officers, 31 men[2]
Armament
Service record
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Hugo Thielmann[3]
  • 7 February – 18 March 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Max Schmidt[4]
  • 19 March – 11 November 1918
Operations: No patrols
Victories: None

UB-106 was lost in an accident on 15 March 1918, but was later raised and recommissioned.[2] She was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 26 November 1918. After passing into British hands, UB-97 was towed to Falmouth along with five other U-boats [Note 2] for use in a series of explosive test trials by the Royal Navy in Falmouth Bay, in order to find weaknesses in their design. Following her use during 13/17 January 1921, UB-106 was dumped on Castle Beach and sold to R. Roskelly & Rodgers on 19 April 1921 for scrap (for £125), and partially salvaged over the following decades, although parts remain in situ.[5]

Construction

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She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 21 July 1917. UB-106 was commissioned early the next year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Hugo Thielmann. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-106 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-106 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-106 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.

References

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Notes

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  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. ^ The other five being UB-86, UC-92, UB-97, UB-112, and UB-128.

Citations

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  1. ^ Rössler 1979, p. 66.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hugo Thielmann". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Max Schmidt". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ^ Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth. pp. 50–52, 99, 129. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.

Bibliography

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50°8′44.43″N 5°3′0.57″W / 50.1456750°N 5.0501583°W / 50.1456750; -5.0501583