SM UB-78 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 20 October 1917 as SM UB-78.[Note 1] Mined off Dover on 19 April 1918 all 35 crew lost.[3]
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-78.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-78 |
| Ordered | 23 September 1916[1] |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Cost | 3,338,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 307 |
| Launched | 2 June 1917[2] |
| Commissioned | 20 October 1917[2] |
| Fate | Mined off Dover in position 51°01′N 01°17′E / 51.017°N 1.283°E on 19 April 1918 all 35 crew lost.[3] |
| General characteristics | |
| 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 | 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 31 men[2] |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: | 5 patrols |
| Victories: | |
Construction
editShe was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 2 June 1917. UB-78 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kptlt. Woldemar Petri. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-78 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-78 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,680 nautical miles (16,080 km; 9,990 mi). UB-78 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons) while surfaced and 648 t (638 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.6 knots (25.2 km/h; 15.7 mph) when surfaced and 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) when submerged.[2]
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March 1918 | Strathearn |  United Kingdom
|
152 | Damaged |
| 22 March 1918 | Polleon | United Kingdom
|
1,155 | Sunk |
| 25 March 1918 | HMD Border Lads |  Royal Navy
|
86 | Sunk |
| 26 March 1918 | British Star | United Kingdom
|
6,888 | Damaged |
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.
- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 65.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ a b Helgason 2018
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Woldemar Petri". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ulrich Pilzecker". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Arthur Stoßberg". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 78". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 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.
- Helgason, Guðmundur (2018). "UB 78". uboat.net. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- 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
edit- Scott, Graham (2015) ' UB-78 off Folkestone, Kent: Archaeological Report', Wessex Archaeology.
- Historic England project to research First World War submarine wrecks. Archived 24 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine