SM UB-68[Note 1] was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 May 1916. It was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 October 1917 as SM UB-68. The submarine conducted five patrols and sank five ships during the war. Under the command of Karl Dönitz, on 4 October 1918 UB-68 encountered technical problems and had to surface where she was sunk by gunfire at 33°56′N 16°20′E / 33.933°N 16.333°E. There was one dead and thirty-three survivors.[2] Other sources name the British warships involved in the sinking of UB-68 as HMS Snapdragon and HMS Cradosin, and claim four crew members died in the event.[4]
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-68 |
| Ordered | 20 May 1916[1][2] |
| Builder | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Cost | 3,276,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 286 |
| Launched | 4 July 1917[3] |
| Commissioned | 5 October 1917[3] |
| Fate | Sunk 4 October 1918[3] |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| Class and type | Type UB III submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 55.83 m (183 ft 2 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 5.80 m (19 ft) |
| Draught | 3.67 m (12 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 31 men[3] |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | 30-second diving time |
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: | 5 patrols[2] |
| Victories: | |
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April 1918 | Warwickshire |  United Kingdom
|
8,012 | Damaged |
| 11 April 1918 | Kingstonian | United Kingdom
|
6,564 | Damaged |
| 13 April 1918 | Provence III |  France
|
3,941 | Damaged |
| 26 April 1918 | Angelina Di Paola |  Italy
|
228 | Sunk |
| 1 June 1918 | Angelina | Italy
|
1,260 | Sunk |
| 3 June 1918 | Glaucus | United Kingdom
|
5,295 | Sunk |
| 12 June 1918 | Monginevro | Italy
|
5,271 | Damaged |
| 24 June 1918 | Saint Antoine | France
|
43 | Sunk |
| 4 October 1918 | Oopack | United Kingdom
|
3,883 | Sunk |
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.
- ^ Tonnages are in gross register tons
References
edit- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e f g Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 68". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Gröner, p.54
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 68". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- 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.
- 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.