SM UB-55

	UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-55.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-55
Ordered	20 May 1916
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Cost	3,276,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	267
Launched	9 May 1917
Commissioned	1 July 1917
Fate	sunk 22 April 1918 at 50°59′N 01°20′E / 50.983°N 1.333°E by mines, 30 dead
General characteristics
Class and type	German Type UB III submarine
Displacement	516 t (508 long tons) surfaced; 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) submerged;
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	2 × propeller shaft; 2 × Körting four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,050 bhp (780 kW); 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW);
Speed	13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced; 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged;
Range	9,020 nmi (16,710 km; 10,380 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
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 Flotilla; 30 August 1917 – 22 April 1918;
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ralph Wenninger; 1 July 1917 – 22 April 1918;
Operations:	7 patrols
Victories:	21 merchant ships sunk (26,598 GRT); 2 merchant ships damaged 12,809 GRT;

SM UB-55 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 Flanders Flotilla of the German Imperial Navy on 1 July 1917 as SM UB-55.^{[Note 1]}

She operated as part of the Flanders Flotilla based in Zeebrugge. UB-55 was sunk at 05:05 on 22 April 1918 at 51°01′N 01°20′E / 51.017°N 1.333°E / 51.017; 1.333 after striking a mine, 30 crew members lost their lives in the event.^[2]

Construction

She was built by AG Weser, Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 9 May 1917. UB-55 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kptlt. Ralph Wenninger. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-55 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-55 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 9,020 nautical miles (16,710 km; 10,380 mi). UB-55 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons) while surfaced and 646 t (636 long tons; 712 short tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) when surfaced and 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 2]}	Fate^[3]
5 November 1917	Clan Cumming	United Kingdom	4,808	Damaged
7 December 1917	Proba	United Kingdom	105	Sunk
8 December 1917	Corinto	Norway	999	Sunk
11 December 1917	Argus	Portugal	100	Sunk
11 December 1917	Ligeiro	Portugal	25	Sunk
11 December 1917	A Portuguesa	Portugal	107	Sunk
11 December 1917	Vigneira	Portugal	25	Sunk
16 December 1917	Foylemore	United Kingdom	3,831	Sunk
25 January 1918	Eastlands	United Kingdom	3,113	Sunk
26 January 1918	Manhattan	United Kingdom	8,001	Damaged
29 January 1918	Addax	United Kingdom	40	Sunk
29 January 1918	General Leman	United Kingdom	57	Sunk
29 January 1918	Ibex	United Kingdom	42	Sunk
29 January 1918	Perriton	United Kingdom	90	Sunk
29 January 1918	Perseverance	United Kingdom	51	Sunk
30 January 1918	Wellholme	United Kingdom	113	Sunk
14 March 1918	A. A. Raven	United States	2,459	Sunk
21 March 1918	Begonia	United Kingdom	3,070	Sunk
23 March 1918	Chattahoochee	United States	8,007	Sunk
23 March 1918	Madame Midas	United Kingdom	1,203	Sunk
23 March 1918	Mar Baltico	Spain	2,023	Sunk
23 March 1918	Venborg	Norway	1,065	Sunk
24 March 1918	Fileur	France	73	Sunk

References

Notes

^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (Template:Lang-en) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
^ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

^ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB-55". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

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. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |last-author-amp= (help)
Rössler, Eberhard (1979). U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 – 1945 (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[3] "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (Template:Lang-en) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

[tonnage-4] Tonnages are in gross register tons

[FOOTNOTERössler197955-1] Rössler 1979, p. 55.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199125–30-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.

[5] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB-55". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

[1]

[2]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[3]

v t e Type UB III submarines
SM UB-48 SM UB-49 SM UB-50 SM UB-51 SM UB-52 SM UB-53 SM UB-54 SM UB-55 SM UB-56 SM UB-57 SM UB-58 SM UB-59 SM UB-60 SM UB-61 SM UB-62 SM UB-63 SM UB-64 SM UB-65 SM UB-66 SM UB-67 SM UB-68 SM UB-69 SM UB-70 SM UB-71 SM UB-72 SM UB-73 SM UB-74 SM UB-75 SM UB-76 SM UB-77 SM UB-78 SM UB-79 SM UB-80 SM UB-81 SM UB-82 SM UB-83 SM UB-84 SM UB-85 SM UB-86 SM UB-87 SM UB-88 SM UB-89 SM UB-90 SM UB-91 SM UB-92 SM UB-93 SM UB-94 SM UB-95 SM UB-96 SM UB-97 SM UB-98 SM UB-99 SM UB-100 SM UB-101 SM UB-102 SM UB-103 SM UB-104 SM UB-105 SM UB-106 SM UB-107 SM UB-108 SM UB-109 SM UB-110 SM UB-111 SM UB-112 SM UB-113 SM UB-114 SM UB-115 SM UB-116 SM UB-117 SM UB-118 SM UB-119 SM UB-120 SM UB-121 SM UB-122 SM UB-123 SM UB-124 SM UB-125 SM UB-126 SM UB-127 SM UB-128 SM UB-129 SM UB-130 SM UB-131 SM UB-132 SM UB-133 SM UB-136 SM UB-142 SM UB-143 SM UB-144 SM UB-145 SM UB-148 SM UB-149 SM UB-150 SM UB-154 SM UB-155
Preceded by: Type UB II Followed by: Type VII (World War II)
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1918
Shipwrecks	1 Apr: HMS Falcon 3 Apr: AG-11, AG-12, AG-16, HMS E1, HMS E9 4 Apr: HMS Bittern, HMS C26, HMS E8 5 Apr: HMS C27, HMS C35 7 Apr: Rye 8 Apr: HMS E19 10 Apr: Benedetto Cairoli, Faulx 11 Apr: USS Mary B. Garner, UB-33 17 Apr: UB-82 19 Apr: UB-78 21 Apr: UB-71 22 Apr: Prinz August Wilhelm, UB-55 23 Apr: HMS Brilliant, HMS C3, HMS Sirius, HMS Thetis 25 Apr: U-104 29 Apr: Priarial 30 Apr: UB-85
Other incidents	10 Apr: Mangini, Giacinto Carini 11 Apr: HMS King Alfred, SMS Rheinland 23 Apr: Brussels
1917 1918 1919 March 1918 May 1918