SM UB-91 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 April 1918 as SM UB-91.[Note 1]
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-91.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-91 |
| Ordered | 6 / 8 February 1917[2] |
| Builder | AG Vulcan, Hamburg |
| Cost | 3,654,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 107 |
| Launched | 6 March 1918[1] |
| Commissioned | 11 April 1918[1] |
| Fate | Surrendered 21 November 1918, broken up in 1921[1] |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | German Type UB III submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 55.52 m (182 ft 2 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 5.76 m (18 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 31 men[1] |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 2 patrols |
| Victories: |
|
On 4 October 1918 UB-91 sank the Hirano Maru, killing among others, Yokohama Specie Bank sub-manager S. Ujie, his wife and three sons, together with bank employee Takashi Aoki and wife Sueko.[4][5]
Surrender edit
UB-91 was surrendered to Britain on 21 November 1918 at Harwich. She toured the South Wales ports of Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Port Talbot and was towed to Pembroke Dock, eventually being broken up in Briton Ferry in 1921.[6] King George V presented her deck gun to the town of Chepstow by in recognition of the bravery of William Charles Williams RN VC at Gallipoli in 1915. The gun forms part of the Chepstow War Memorial.[7][8]
Construction edit
She was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 6 March 1918. UB-91 was commissioned later the same year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-91 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-91 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,120 nautical miles (13,190 km; 8,190 mi). UB-91 had a displacement of 510 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 640 t (630 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.
Summary of raiding history edit
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 1918 | Hebburn |  United Kingdom
|
1,938 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1918 | USCGC Tampa |  United States Coast Guard
|
1,181 | Sunk[10] |
| 28 September 1918 | Baldersby | United Kingdom
|
3,613 | Sunk |
| 4 October 1918 | Hirano Maru |  Japan
|
7,936 | Sunk[10] |
References edit
Notes edit
- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 61.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Wolf Hans Hertwig". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "The Torpedoed "Hirano Maru"". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 13 December 1918. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "独政府を相手に損害賠償の訴え". Osaka Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese). 10 July 1919. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Gröner 1991, p. 54.
- ^ Cadw. "Chepstow War Memorial (Grade II) (2503)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Deck Gun from German U-board UB-91 (32858)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 91". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ a b "WW1: New memorial for Pembrokeshire's Japanese dead". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
Bibliography edit
- 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). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.