SM UB-97

SM UB-97 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 25 July 1918 as SM UB-97.[Note 1]

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-97.
Type III UB-boats dumped at Falmouth after explosive trials, 1921.
History
German Empire
Name: UB-97
Ordered: 6/8 February 1917[1]
Builder: AG Vulcan, Hamburg
Cost: 3,654,000 German Papiermark
Yard number: 113
Launched: 13 June 1918[2]
Commissioned: 25 July 1918[2]
Fate: surrendered 21 November 1918; used for explosive trials and dumped on beach 1920; sold for scrap 1921
General characteristics [2]
Class and type: German Type UB III submarine
Displacement:
  • 510 t (500 long tons) surfaced
  • 640 t (630 long tons) submerged
Length: 55.52 m (182 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Beam: 5.76 m (18 ft 11 in)
Draught: 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 7,120 nmi (13,190 km; 8,190 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[2]
Armament:
Service record
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Oskar Brinkmann[3]
  • 26 July – 14 August 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Georg Stollenz[4]
  • 15 August – 11 November 1918
Operations: No patrols
Victories: None

UB-97 was surrendered to the Allies at Harwich on 21 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. After passing into British hands, UB-97 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 7 March 1921, UB-97 was dumped on Castle Beach and sold to R. Roskelly & Rodgers on 19 April 1921 for scrap (for £50), and partially salvaged over the following decades, although parts remain in situ.[5]

Construction
Main article: German Type UB III submarine

he was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 13 June 1918. UB-97 was commissioned later the same year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Oskar Brinkmann. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-97 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-97 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,120 nautical miles (13,190 km; 8,190 mi). UB-97 had a displacement of 510 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 640 t (630 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

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-86, UC-92, UB-106, UB-112, and UB-128.

Citations
  1. Rössler 1979, p. 61.
  2. Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Oskar Brinkmann". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Georg Stollenz". 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, 128. ISBN 978 1 5267 4198 1.

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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 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. Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften (in German). I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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