Summary
SM UB-85[Note 1] was a Type UB III U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. Ordered on 23 September 1916, the U-boat was built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen and commissioned on 24 November 1917, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Krech.[3]
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-85.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | UB-85 |
| Ordered | 23 September 1916[2] |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Cost | 3,341,000 German Papiermark |
| Yard number | 285 |
| Laid down | 24 January 1917[3] |
| Launched | 26 October 1917[1] |
| Commissioned | 24 November 1917[1] |
| Fate | Sunk 30 April 1918 by British destroyer at 54°47′N 5°23′W / 54.783°N 5.383°W[1] |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | German Type UB III submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 5.80 m (19 ft) |
| Draught | 3.72 m (12 ft 2 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: | None |
Construction edit
SM UB-85 was built by AG Weser of Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 26 October 1917, and was commissioned later that same year. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-85 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-85 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,180 nautical miles (15,150 km; 9,410 mi). UB-85 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons) while surfaced and 647 t (637 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) when surfaced and 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) when submerged.
Service history edit
On her second patrol, she was picked up by HM Drifter Coreopsis II [Note 2] off the coast of Belfast, Ireland on 30 April 1918, after she was partially flooded through a semi-open hatch while trying to evade attack by the British vessel.[3] The ingress of water could not be controlled, since cables for a heater in the officers' compartment had previously been laid through a watertight door, by order of Kapt. Krech.[5] The submarine was forced to surface and was abandoned by her crew while under fire. No casualties occurred amongst the 34 crew and they were taken as prisoners of war.[6]
Relationship with cryptozoology edit
Under interrogation, the captain is reported to have said that the submarine had surfaced the night before to recharge the batteries and had been attacked by a large sea creature that had damaged the vessel and left it unable to submerge. The crew had fired their sidearms at the creature.[7][8]
Wreck edit
Engineers working on an electricity cable, the Western HVDC Link, discovered the almost intact wreck of a UB-III class submarine, believed to be either UB-85 or UB-82, lying off the Galloway coast in October 2016.[9] Dr Innes McCartney who identified the wreck said: "We are certainly closer to solving the so-called mystery of UB-85 and the reason behind its sinking - whether common mechanical failure or something that is less easily explained."[7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ^ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Günther Krech". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ Messimer, Dwight R. (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1557504753.
- ^ "NOTICE OF INTENDED DISTRIBUTION OF NAVAL PRIZE BOUNTY MONEY". The London Gazette (32515): 8942. 11 November 1921. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Experts move a step closer to uncovering the mystery of the German submarine "attacked by a sea monster" in WWI". New Zealand Herald. 19 October 2016.
- ^ Sweeney, James B. Sea Monsters: A Collection of Eyewitness Accounts. D. McKay Co., 1977.
- ^ "Wreck of German U-boat found off coast of Stranraer". BBC. 19 October 2016.
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.
- ^ Not HMS Coreopsis (1917), a sloop and Q-ship with which it is often confused.
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). 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.
- 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.
External links edit
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.