UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-128.
History
German Empire
NameUB-128
Ordered6 / 8 February 1917[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Cost3,654,000 German Papiermark
Yard number301
Laid down20 July 1917[2]
Launched10 April 1918[3]
Commissioned11 May 1918[3]
FateSurrendered 3 February 1919; used for explosive trials and dumped on beach 1921; sold for scrap 1921
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeGerman Type UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 512 t (504 long tons) surfaced
  • 643 t (633 long tons) submerged
Length55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.72 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.9 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) surfaced
  • 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range
  • 7,280 nmi (13,480 km; 8,380 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[3]
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • Mittelmeer I Flotilla
  • 4 September – 11 November 1918
Commanders:
Operations: 2 patrols
Victories: 1 merchant ship sunk
(7,418 GRT)

SM UB-128 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 11 May 1918 as SM UB-128.[Note 1]

UB-128 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 3 February 1919 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. After passing into British hands, UB-128 was towed to Falmouth along with five other U-boats [Note 2] for use in a series of explosive test trials by the Royal Navy in Falmouth Bay, in order to find weaknesses in their design. Following her use on 1 February 1921, UB-128 was dumped on Castle Beach and sold to R. Roskelly & Rodgers on 19 April 1921 for scrap (for £120), and partially salvaged over the following decades, although parts remain in situ.[5]

Construction

She was built by AG Weser of Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 10 April 1918. UB-128 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Kptlt. Wilhelm Canaris. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-128 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-128 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,280 nautical miles (13,480 km; 8,380 mi). UB-128 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

Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 3] Fate[6]
21 August 1918 Champlain  France 7,418 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. ↑ The other five being UB-86, UC-92, UB-106, UB-112, and UB-97.
  3. ↑ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

  1. ↑ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
  2. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 128". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Wilhelm Canaris". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth. pp. 50–52, 99, 130. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 128". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 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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