SM UB-109
UB-109 was sunk by mine in the English Channel on 29 August 1918 and underwater scanning of the area covered by the Dover Barrage shows her wreck broken in half.
Construction
She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 7 July 1917. UB-109 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Kurt Ramien. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-109 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-109 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-109 had a displacement of 510 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 629 t (619 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.
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 April 1918 | President Leroy-lallier |  France
|
1,320 | Sunk |
| 10 April 1918 | Henley |  United Kingdom
|
3,249 | Sunk |
| 13 April 1918 | Wilson | United Kingdom
|
110 | Sunk |
| 18 April 1918 | Runswick | United Kingdom
|
3,060 | Sunk |
| 19 August 1918 | Zinal | United Kingdom
|
4,037 | Sunk |
| 25 August 1918 | Pontet Canet | France
|
1,183 | Sunk |
| 26 August 1918 | Helge |  Sweden
|
1,133 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- ^ "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
- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 66.
- ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Kurt Ramien (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "The Maritime Archaeology of the Dover Barrage". Wessex archaeology on line. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 109". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
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.
- 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.
External links
- Scott, G (2015) 'UB-109 off Folkestone, Kent: Archaeological Report', Wessex Archaeology
- Historic England project to research First World War submarines
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in August 1918 | |
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