 SM UB-45, a U-boat similar to UB-27
|
| History |
|---|
 German Empire |
|---|
| Name | UB-27 |
| Ordered | 30 April 1915 |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Cost | 1,291,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 241 |
| Laid down | 8 July 1915 |
| Launched | 10 February 1916 |
| Commissioned | 23 February 1916 |
| Fate | Sunk by British warship on 29 July 1917 |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Class and type | German Type UB II submarine |
| Displacement |
- 265 t (261 long tons) surfaced
- 291 t (286 long tons) submerged
|
| Length | |
| Beam |
- 4.36 m (14 ft 4 in) o/a
- 3.85 m (13 ft) pressure hull
|
| Draught | 3.66 m (12 ft) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
- 8.9 knots (16.5 km/h; 10.2 mph) surfaced
- 5.72 knots (10.59 km/h; 6.58 mph) submerged
|
| Range |
- 7,200 nmi (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
- 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 2 officers, 21 men |
| Armament | |
| Notes | 30-second diving time |
| Service record |
| Part of: |
- I Flotilla
- 14 April 1916 - 1 February 1917
- II Flotilla
- 1 February - 21 April 1917
- Baltic Flotilla
- 21 April - 19 July 1917
- Flandern Flotilla
- 19 – 29 July 1917
|
| Commanders: |
- Kptlt. Victor Dieckmann[3]
- 23 February – 31 October 1916
- Oblt.z.S. Hans Georg Lübbe[4]
- 1 November 1916 – 23 April 1917
- Oblt.z.S. Freiherr Heinz von Stein zu Lausnitz[5]
- 24 April – 29 July 1917
|
| Operations: |
17 patrols |
| Victories: |
- 10 merchant ships sunk
(16,094 GRT)
- 1 auxiliary warship sunk
(1,997 GRT)
- 3 merchant ships damaged
(3,240 GRT)
- 1 merchant ship taken as prize
(1,019 GRT)
|
SM UB-27 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 30 April 1915 and launched on 10 February 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 23 February 1916 as SM UB-27.[Note 1] UB-27 sank 11 ships in 17 patrols for a total of 18,091 gross register tons (GRT).
Design
A German Type UB II submarine, UB-27 had a displacement of 265 tonnes (261 long tons) when at the surface and 291 tonnes (286 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 36.13 m (118 ft 6 in), a beam of 4.36 m (14 ft 4 in), and a draught of 3.66 m (12 ft 0 in). The submarine was powered by two Benz six-cylinder diesel engines producing a total 270 metric horsepower (270 shp; 200 kW), two Siemens-Schuckert electric motors producing 280 metric horsepower (210 kW; 280 shp), and one propeller shaft. She was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft).
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 8.90 knots (16.48 km/h; 10.24 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 5.72 knots (10.59 km/h; 6.58 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). UB-26 was fitted with two 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes, four torpedoes, and one 5 cm (2.0 in) SK L/40 deck gun. She had a complement of twenty-one crew members and two officers and a thirty-second dive time.
Service history
On 29 April 1916 in the North Sea about 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) south-east of Souter Point near Whitburn, County Durham, UB-27 opened with her deck gun fire at SS Wandle, an 889 GRT "flat-iron" collier of the Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company.[7] The collier engaged the submarine and survived.[7] Afterwards in Britain it was believed Wandle had sunk UB-27 and the master, G.E.A. Mastin, and his crew were celebrated.[8][9]
UB-27 disappeared after 22 July 1917. HMS Halcyon reported ramming and depth charging a U-boat on 29 July 1917. A postwar German study concluded that it was possible that Halcyon sank UB-27 at 52°47′N 2°24′E / 52.783°N 2.400°E / 52.783; 2.400.
