SM UB-86 dumped after explosive trials at Falmouth, 1921.
History
German Empire
NameUB-86
Ordered23 September 1916[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Cost3,341,000 German Papiermark
Yard number286
Laid down25 January 1917[2]
Launched10 October 1917[3]
Commissioned10 November 1917[3]
FateSurrendered 24 November 1918, used for explosive trials and dumped on beach 1920; sold for scrap 1921
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 – 5 May 1918
  • III Flotilla
  • 5 May – 11 November 1918
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Hans Trenk[4]
  • 10 November 1917 – 11 November 1918
Operations: 5 patrols
Victories:
  • 4 merchant ships sunk
    (5,876 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (1,735 GRT)
  • 1 warship damaged
    (14,150 tons)

SM UB-86 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 31 October 1917 as SM UB-86.[Note 1]

UB-86 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 24 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. After passing into British hands, UB-86 was towed to Falmouth along with five other U-boats [Note 2] for use in a series of explosive test trials by the Royal Navy in Falmouth Bay, in order to find weaknesses in their design. Following her use on 14 January 1921, UB-86 was dumped on Castle Beach and sold to R. Roskelly & Rodgers on 19 April 1921 for scrap (for £110), and partially salvaged over the following decades, although parts remain in situ.[5]

Construction

UB-85 was ordered on 23 September 1916.
She was built by AG Weser of Bremen and following just under a year of construction, launched at Bremen on 10 October 1917. UB-86 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kptlt. Hans Trenk. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-86 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-86 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,180 nautical miles (15,150 km; 9,410 mi). UB-86 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 17 August 1918 UB-86 torpedoed the cargo steam ship Denebola 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) N by W from Gurnard Head near St Ives, Cornwall. Denebola, en route from Swansea bound for Rouen, was struck by two torpedoes which hit near number two and three holds causing her to sink rapidly.[6] The crew took to a boat and a raft and were later picked up by a patrol vessel.[6] The second engineer and one able seaman were lost.[6][7]

Summary of raiding history

Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 3] Fate[8]
21 February 1918 Mercia  Sweden 1,127 Sunk
11 April 1918 HMS King Alfred  Royal Navy 14,150 Damaged
18 April 1918 Gregynog  United Kingdom 1,701 Sunk
17 August 1918 Denebola  United Kingdom 1,481 Sunk
17 August 1918 Helene  Denmark 1,567 Sunk
19 August 1918 Charity  United Kingdom 1,735 Damaged

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. ↑ The other five being UB-97, UC-92, UB-106, UB-112, and UB-128.
  3. ↑ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. ↑ Rössler 1979, p. 55.
  2. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 86". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Trenk". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars. Barnsley: Seaforth. pp. 50–52, 99, 129. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
  6. 1 2 3 "SS Denebola [+1918]". Wreck Site. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  7. ↑ British Merchant Shipping Losses WW1. HMSO.
  8. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 86". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 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.
  • 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). 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)

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