Engineering:SM UB-85
 UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-85.
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| General characteristics [1] | |
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| Class and type: | 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: |
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| Range: |
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| Test depth: | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 31 men[1] |
| Armament: |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Commanders: |
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| 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.[3]
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, Northern Ireland on 30 April 1918, after she was partly 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.[4] The submarine was forced to surface and was abandoned by her crew while under fire at position Template:Coord/display/title, inline. No casualties occurred amongst the 34 crew who were taken as prisoners of war.[5]
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, a "strange beast" that rose out of the deep and damaged the vessel, leaving it unable to submerge. The crew had fired their sidearms at the creature.[6][7]
Wreck
Engineers working on an electricity cable, the Western HVDC Link, discovered the almost intact wreck of a Type UB III submarine, believed to be either UB-85 or missing name, lying off the Galloway coast in October 2016.[8] 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."[6]
See also
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Günther Krech". http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/160.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+85.
- ↑ Messimer, Dwight R. (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1557504753. https://books.google.com/books?id=ILOfAAAAMAAJ&q=UB-85+heater.
- ↑ "NOTICE OF INTENDED DISTRIBUTION OF NAVAL PRIZE BOUNTY MONEY". The London Gazette (32515): 8942. 11 November 1921. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32515/page/8942. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "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. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11732104.
- ↑ 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. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-37691283.
Notes
Bibliography
- Bendert, Harald (2000) (in de). Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal. 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. 2. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Rössler, Eberhard (1979) (in de). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=QIvfAAAAMAAJ.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 85". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+85.
Template:German Type UB III submarines Template:April 1918 shipwrecks
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