SM UB-75 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 September 1917 as SM UB-75.[Note 1]

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-75.
History
German Empire
NameUB-75
Ordered23 September 1916[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost3,338,000 German Papiermark
Yard number304
Launched5 May 1917[2]
Commissioned11 September 1917[2]
FateStruck mine 10 December 1917 at 54°5′N 0°10′E / 54.083°N 0.167°E / 54.083; 0.167, all hands lost.[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeType UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 516 t (508 long tons) surfaced
  • 648 t (638 long tons) submerged
Length55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.6 knots (25.2 km/h; 15.7 mph) surfaced
  • 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged
Range
  • 8,680 nmi (16,080 km; 9,990 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 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[2]
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • V Flotilla
  • 24 October – 10 December 1917
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Franz Walther[3]
  • 11 September – 10 December 1917
Operations: 2 patrols
Victories:
  • 6 merchant ships sunk
    (10,777 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (1,477 GRT)

UB-75 was serving in the Flanders Flotillas. On 10 December 1917 she was lost with all hands after hitting a mine.[2]

Construction

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She was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 5 May 1917. UB-75 was commissioned later that same year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-75 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-75 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,680 nautical miles (16,080 km; 9,990 mi). UB-75 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.


Summary of raiding history

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Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 2] Fate[4]
4 November 1917 Lucida   United Kingdom 1,477 Damaged
9 November 1917 Frithjof Eide   Norway 1,207 Sunk
5 December 1917 Aigburth   United Kingdom 824 Sunk
6 December 1917 Leda   Netherlands 1,140 Sunk
7 December 1917 Highgate   United Kingdom 1,780 Sunk
8 December 1917 Lampada   United Kingdom 2,230 Sunk
9 December 1917 Venetia   United Kingdom 3,596 Sunk

References

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Notes

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  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

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  1. ^ Rössler 1979, p. 65.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Franz Walther". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 75". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

Bibliography

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