UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-103.
History
German Empire
NameUB-103
Ordered6 / 8 February 1917[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number309
Launched7 July 1917[2]
Commissioned18 December 1917[2]
FateSunk 14 August 1918 at 50°52′N 1°27′E / 50.867°N 1.450°E / 50.867; 1.450[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeGerman Type UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 510 t (500 long tons) surfaced
  • 629 t (619 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
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Paul Hundius[3]
  • 18 December 1917 – 14 August 1918
Operations: 6 patrols
Victories: 15 merchant ships sunk
(25,999 GRT)

SM UB-103 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 on 18 December 1917 as SM UB-103.[Note 1]

UB-103 was sunk in the English Channel by British warships and SSZ 1, a SSZ class blimp.[2] All hands were lost.[4]

Construction

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and, after just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 7 July 1917. UB-103 was commissioned later the same year, under the command of KptLt Paul Hundius. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-103 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-103 had a crew of up to three officers and 31 men, and its cruising range was 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-103 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[Note 2] Fate[5]
20 March 1918 Eros  Sweden 858 Sunk
21 March 1918 Tyrhaug  United Kingdom 1,483 Sunk
24 March 1918 Anteros  United Kingdom 4,241 Sunk
22 April 1918 Eric Calvert  United Kingdom 1,862 Sunk
28 April 1918 Elba  United Kingdom 1,081 Sunk
2 May 1918 Thorsa  United Kingdom 1,319 Sunk
3 May 1918 Vasilefs Georgios  Greece 3,651 Sunk
10 June 1918 Borg  United Kingdom 2,111 Sunk
11 June 1918 Lorle  United Kingdom 2,686 Sunk
12 June 1918 Kul  United Kingdom 1,095 Sunk
11 July 1918 Kong Guttorm  Norway 731 Sunk
15 July 1918 Cap Breton  France 1,464 Sunk
15 July 1918 Vendee  France 892 Sunk
16 July 1918 Lyndiane  France 1,564 Sunk
21 July 1918 Arvor  France 961 Sunk

References

Notes

  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. ↑ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. ↑ Rössler 1979, p. 66.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Paul Hundius (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "WWI U-boats UB 103". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 103". 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). U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 – 1945 (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

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