UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-85.
History
German Empire
NameUB-85
Ordered23 September 1916[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Cost3,341,000 German Papiermark
Yard number285
Laid down24 January 1917[2]
Launched26 October 1917[3]
Commissioned24 November 1917[3]
FateSunk 30 April 1918 by British destroyer at 54°47′N 5°23′W / 54.783°N 5.383°W / 54.783; -5.383[3]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeGerman Type UB III submarine
Displacement
  • 516 t (508 long tons) surfaced
  • 647 t (637 long tons) submerged
Length55.85 m (183 ft 3 in) (o/a)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught3.72 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13.4 knots (24.8 km/h; 15.4 mph) surfaced
  • 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range
  • 8,180 nmi (15,150 km; 9,410 mi) at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) surfaced
  • 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement3 officers, 31 men[3]
Armament
Service record
Part of:
  • V Flotilla
  • 10 February – 30 April 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Günther Krech[4]
  • 24 November 1917 – 30 April 1918
Operations: 2 patrols
Victories: None

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.[2]

Construction

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

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.[2] 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

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

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

References

  1. ↑ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
  2. 1 2 3 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Messimer, Dwight R. (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1557504753.
  6. ↑ "NOTICE OF INTENDED DISTRIBUTION OF NAVAL PRIZE BOUNTY MONEY". The London Gazette (32515): 8942. 11 November 1921. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 "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.
  8. ↑ Sweeney, James B. Sea Monsters: A Collection of Eyewitness Accounts. D. McKay Co., 1977.
  9. ↑ "Wreck of German U-boat found off coast of Stranraer". BBC. 19 October 2016.

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. ↑ Not HMS Coreopsis (1917), a sloop and Q-ship with which it is often confused.

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). 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). 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)
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.

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