SM UB-143 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 3 October 1918 as SM UB-143.[Note 1]

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-143.
History
German Empire
NameUB-143
Ordered27 June 1917[2]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Cost4,301,000 German Papiermark
Yard number309
Laid down27 Oct 1917[3]
Launched21 August 1918[1]
Commissioned3 October 1918[1]
FateSurrendered to Japan 1 December 1918[1]
Japan
NameO-7[1]
Commissioned1 December 1918[1]
FateBroken up in Yokohama in 1921[1]
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeGerman Type UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 523 t (515 long tons) surfaced
  • 653 t (643 long tons) submerged
Length55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) surfaced
  • 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 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[1]
Armament
Service record
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans Adalbert von der Lühe[4]
  • 3 October – 11 November 1918
Operations: No patrols
Victories: None

She was surrendered to Japan on 1 December 1918 and served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as O-7 until 1921, when she was broken up in Yokohama.[1]

Construction edit

Built by AG Weser of Bremen in one year of construction, UB-143 was launched at Bremen on 21 August 1918, carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-143 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). Displacement was 523 t (515 long tons) while surfaced and 653 t (643 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) when surfaced and 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) when submerged.

References edit

Notes edit

  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.

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  2. ^ Rössler 1979, p. 56.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 143". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Adalbert von der Lühe". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 March 2015.

Bibliography edit