SM UB-104

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-104.

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-104.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-104
Ordered	6 / 8 February 1917[1]
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost	3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	310
Launched	1 September 1917[2]
Commissioned	15 March 1918[2]
Fate	Sunk by mine on 19 September 1918[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Type UB III submarine
Displacement	519 t (511 long tons) surfaced 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length	55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shaft 2 × MAN-Vulcan four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,085 bhp (809 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW)
Speed	13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range	7,420 nmi (13,740 km; 8,540 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 depth	50 m (160 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 31 men[2]
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 10 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Flandern II Flotilla 24 July – 21 September 1918
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Ernst Berlin[3] 15 March – 26 July 1918 Oblt.z.S. Thomas Bieber[4] 27 July – 21 September 1918
Operations:	3 patrols
Victories:	11 merchant ships sunk (15,958 GRT)

SM UB-104 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 15 March 1918 as SM UB-104.^{[Note 1]}

UB-104 was sunk by mine in at the Northern Barrage on 19 September 1918.^[2]

Construction

Main article: Type UB III submarine

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 1 September 1917. UB-104 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Ernst Berlin. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-104 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-104 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-104 had a displacement of 519 t (511 long tons) while surfaced and 649 t (639 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 2]	Fate[5]
2 August 1918	Flevo X	Netherlands	111	Sunk
2 August 1918	Remke	Netherlands	193	Sunk
3 August 1918	Cambrai	France	963	Sunk
13 August 1918	Frida	Denmark	395	Sunk
13 August 1918	Jönköping 1	Sweden	1,546	Sunk
14 August 1918	Wallsend	United Kingdom	2,697	Sunk
14 September 1918	Gibel Hamam	United Kingdom	647	Sunk
15 September 1918	Kendal Castle	United Kingdom	3,885	Sunk
16 September 1918	Ethel	United Kingdom	2,336	Sunk
16 September 1918	Lord Stewart	United Kingdom	1,445	Sunk
17 September 1918	Ursa	Sweden	1,740	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. Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

1. Rössler 1979, p. 66.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ernst Berlin". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Thomas Bieber (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 104". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 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). 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.