SM UB-13

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-13.
Sections of UB-13 on board railroad flatcars for transport to Antwerp in early 1915
Sections of UB-13 on board railroad flatcars for transport to Antwerp in early 1915
Sections of UB-13 on board railroad flatcars for transport to Antwerp in early 1915
History
German Empire
NameUB-13
Ordered15 October 1914[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen[2]
Yard number222[1]
Laid down7 November 1914[1]
Launched8 March 1915[1]
Commissioned6 April 1915[1]
FateSunk, 25 April 1916[1]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType UB I submarine
Displacement
  • 127 t (125 long tons) surfaced
  • 141 t (139 long tons) submerged
Length27.88 m (91 ft 6 in) (o/a)
Beam3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Draft3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 7.45 knots (13.80 km/h; 8.57 mph) surfaced
  • 6.24 knots (11.56 km/h; 7.18 mph) submerged
Range
  • 1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
  • 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 metres (160 ft)
Complement14
Armament
Notes33-second diving time
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Oblt. Walter Gustav Becker
  • 6 April – 14 December 1915[1]
  • Oblt. Karl Neumann
  • 15 December 1915 – 11 March 1916
  • Oblt. Arthur Metz
  • 12 March – 24 April 1916
Operations: 36 patrols[1]
Victories:
  • 11 merchant ships sunk
    (17,665 GRT)[1]
  • 1 merchant ship taken as prize
    (27 GRT)

SM UB-13 was a German Type UB I submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The submarine was probably sunk by a British mine net in April 1916.

UB-13 was ordered in October 1914 and was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen in November. UB-13 was a little under 28 metres (92 ft) in length and displaced between 127 and 141 tonnes (125 and 139 long tons), depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two torpedoes for her two bow torpedo tubes and was also armed with a deck-mounted machine gun. UB-13 was broken into sections and shipped by rail to Antwerp for reassembly. She was launched in March 1915 and commissioned as SM UB-13 in April.[Note 1]

UB-13 spent her entire career in the Flanders Flotilla and sank 11 merchant ships, about half of them British fishing vessels. In March 1916, UB-13 was responsible for sinking the Dutch ocean liner Tubantia, raising the ire of the Dutch public. Tubantia was the largest neutral vessel sunk during the war and among the 30 largest ships sunk by U-boats. On 25 April 1916, UB-13 was sunk with all hands.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 13". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 172.
  3. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 22–23.


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