SM UB-118 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 22 January 1918 as SM UB-118.[Note 1]
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-118.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-118 |
| Ordered | 6 / 8 February 1917[1] |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Cost | 3,654,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 291 |
| Laid down | 4 April 1917[2] |
| Launched | 13 December 1917[3] |
| Commissioned | 22 January 1918[3] |
| Fate | Surrendered 20 November 1918, broken up in 1919 / 20[3] |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| Class and type | Type UB III submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 5.80 m (19 ft) |
| Draught | 3.72 m (12 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 31 men[3] |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 5 patrols |
| Victories: |
5 merchant ships sunk (19,902 GRT) |
UB-118 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. She was allocated to British explosive trials at Falmouth (see UB-86, UB-97, UC-92, UB-106, UB-112 and UB-128), but began to take water while in tow from Devonport to Falmouth, and was therefore sunk by her escort on 21 November 1920.[5]
Construction
editShe was built by AG Weser of Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 13 December 1917. UB-118 was commissioned early the next year under the command of Kptlt. Hermann Arthur Krauß. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-118 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-118 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,280 nautical miles (13,480 km; 8,380 mi). UB-118 had a displacement of 512 t (504 long tons) while surfaced and 643 t (633 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.9 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) when surfaced and 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) when submerged.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1918 | Yturri Bide |  Spain
|
582 | Sunk |
| 7 July 1918 | Carl |  Denmark
|
2,486 | Sunk |
| 27 August 1918 | Ant Cassar |  United Kingdom
|
3,544 | Sunk |
| 1 September 1918 | City of Glasgow | United Kingdom
|
6,457 | Sunk |
| 1 September 1918 | Mesaba | United Kingdom
|
6,833 | Sunk |
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- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 118". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hermann Arthur Krauß". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth. pp. 51–52, 97–98, 130. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 118". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
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.
- 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.