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]
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-107 |
| Ordered | |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Cost | 3,714,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 313 |
| Launched | 21 July 1917[3] |
| Commissioned | 16 February 1918[3] |
| Fate | Sunk 27 July 1918 by British warships at 54°23′N 0°24′W / 54.383°N 0.400°W.[3] |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| Class and type | Type UB III submarine |
| Displacement | |
| 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 |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 31 men[3] |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 4 patrols |
| Victories: | |
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 / 54.383°N 0.400°W.[3]
Construction
editUB-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
editThe first recorded fate of UB-107 was noted as sunk by depth charge on 27 July 1918 by the Royal Navy trawler Calvia and destroyer Vanessa at position 54°23′N 00°24′E / 54.383°N 0.400°E.[4] It has since been argued that the UB-107 was probably not present for the attack by Calvis and Vanessa 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 / 53.867°N 0.167°E.[5]
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In 1985 divers discovered the wreck of UB-107 one mile north of Flamborough Head at position 54°08′N 00°00′W / 54.133°N -0.000°E 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.[6][7] It is suggested that either UB-107 suffered an accident of some sort or was lost on a British mine between 28 July and 3 August 1918, leaving all hands lost (38 dead).[1]
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
editThe 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.[9]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons
Citations
edit- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 107". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 66.
- ^ a b c d e f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Kemp p.53
- ^ UB 107 at uboat.net; retrieved 28 October 2021
- ^ "UB-107 (Wreck)". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ "100 Best Wreck Dives THE MALVINA AND UB-107 – 49". divernet.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 107". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "Deep Sea Detectives - Season 2, Episode 17: Mystery U-boat of World War I - TV.com". www.tv.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012.
Bibliography
edit- 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. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
- Rössler, Eberhard (1979). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
External links
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