SM ''UB-18'' was a German Type UB II submarine or

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

in the

German Imperial Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

(german: Kaiserliche Marine) during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The U-boat was ordered on 30 April 1915 and launched on 21 August 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 December 1915 as SM ''UB-18''."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" ( en, His Majesty's) and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''. The submarine sank 128 ships in 31 patrols for a total of and 725 tons, making her the 17th most successful U-boat in both world wars. ''UB-18'' was rammed by the trawler ''Ben Lawer'' and sunk in the English Channel at on 9 December 1917.

Design

German Type UB II submarine The UB II type submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the German Imperial Navy. They were enlarged from the preceding type UB I and were more effective vessels. The boats were a single hull design with a 50-metre maximum div ...

, ‘’UB-18’’ had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. They had a length overall of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Daimler six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing (a total of ), two

Siemens-Schuckert Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & H ...

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...

s producing , and one

propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...

. She had a dive time of 45 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced she could travel at . ''UB-18'' was fitted with two

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s in the bow, four

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es, and one Tk L/40

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...

. Her

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

was twenty-three crew members.

Service history

Oberleutnant zur See ''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the '' Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the Imp ...

(Oblt.z.S.)

Franz Wäger Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

took command of ''UB-18'' upon commissioning on 11 December 1915. Wäger handed over command to Oblt.z.S.

Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck (19 December 1888 – 16 August 1949) was a highly decorated World War I naval officer and German industrialist who was later indicted and found guilty in the Nuremberg Flick Trial. Having had a very successful career as a U-bo ...

,Steinbrinck was the most successful of the ''Flanders'' U-boat commanders. After the war he joined the Flick group and became a leading industrialist. In 1933 he joined the

Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS The Freundeskreis der Wirtschaft, or ''Circle of Friends of the Economy'' (which became known as " Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS", "Freundeskreis Himmler" or " Keppler Circle") was a group of German industrialists whose aim was to strengthen the ...

. He was indicted in the Flick Trial at Nuremberg in 1947 and found guilty of membership in a criminal organisation. who sailed her to

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zee ...

, arriving on 16 February, the first U-boat of the type to be based there.

1st War Patrol

At the end of February 1916, ''UB-18'' left Zeebrugge for the approaches to

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

. On 26 February she launched a torpedo hitting the French steamer , whose sinking was not observed. The attack on the French auxiliary minesweeper ''Au Revoir'' was more successful, sinking the 20-year-old ship of 1,058 GRT, killing 18 crew members. ''UB-18'' returned to base arriving there 29 February 1916.

2nd War Patrol

On 4 March 1916 ''UB-18'' provided flank cover for a German fleet sortie against the English east coast.

3rd War Patrol

From 7–11 March 1916, ''UB-18'' operated against Allied shipping off Boulogne and Le Havre. On 8 March, she sunk a British steamer, , and the following day, a Norwegian freighter, the ''Silius'', and a French steamer, , fell victims to ''UB-18''s torpedoes.

4th War Patrol

On 21 March 1916, ''UB-18'' left Zeebrugge again for the Le Havre area, where she successfully attacked ships lying in the

roads A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

. Two ships, the British freighter , and the Norwegian steamer were hit by torpedoes and sank. The two reloads did not show any hits. ''UB-18'' returned to Zeebrugge, arriving on 29 March 1916. That day, the Flanders Flotilla was formed, and Steinbrinck was awarded the coveted

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

order.

Loss

Sailing on her last patrol, she was seen off Start Point, Devon by on 4 December 1917, bound for the

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

. Early on the morning of 9 December she inadvertently surfaced close to the trawler ''Ben Lawer'', which was escorting a coal convoy. The trawler immediately rammed her just aft of the conning tower, sinking her; there were no survivors. The impact was substantial, with the ''Ben Lawer'' so badly damaged that she only just made port.McCartney, I. (2003). ''Lost patrols: Submarine wrecks of the English Channel''. 24-25. Penzance: Periscope Books.

Summary of raiding history

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ub018 German Type UB II submarines U-boats commissioned in 1915 World War I submarines of Germany Maritime incidents in 1917 U-boats sunk in 1917 U-boats sunk by British warships 1915 ships Ships built in Hamburg Ships lost with all hands