SM UB-31

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-31.

SM UB-45, a U-boat similar to UB-31
History
German Empire
NameUB-31
Ordered22 July 1915[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg[1]
Cost1,152,000 German Papiermark[2]
Yard number255[1]
Launched16 November 1915[1]
Completed24 March 1916[1]
Commissioned25 March 1916[2]
FateSunk 2 May 1918 by British warships[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeType UB II submarine
Displacement
  • 274 t (270 long tons) surfaced
  • 303 t (298 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 4.37 m (14 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 3.85 m (12 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Draught3.69 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 9.06 knots (16.78 km/h; 10.43 mph) surfaced
  • 5.71 knots (10.57 km/h; 6.57 mph) submerged
Range
  • 7,030 nmi (13,020 km; 8,090 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 m (160 ft)
Complement2 officers, 21 men
Armament
Notes42-second diving time
Service record
Part of:
  • Baltic Flotilla
  • 16 May 1916 – 24 February 1917
  • Flandern Flotilla
  • 24 February 1917 – 2 May 1918
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Karl Vesper[3]
  • 18 March – 11 August 1916
  • Oblt.z.S. Thomas Bieber[4]
  • 12 August 1916 – 31 January 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Wilhelm Braun[5]
  • 1 February – 2 May 1918
Operations: 25 patrols
Victories:
  • 27 merchant ships sunk
    (73,810 GRT)
  • 8 merchant ships damaged
    (34,699 GRT)

SM UB-31[Note 1] was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 16 November 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 25 March 1916 as SM UB-31.

The submarine sank 27 ships in 25 patrols. UB-31 was depth charged and sunk by British warships HMS Lord Leitrim, HMS Loyal Friend, and HMS Ocean Roamer in the English Channel on 2 May 1918.[2] Alternatively she may have been sunk by a mine on that date.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d e Rössler 1979, p. 64.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gröner 1991, pp. 23–25.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Karl Vesper (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Thomas Bieber (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Wilhelm Braun". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "UB-31". U-Boat.net. Retrieved 8 May 2018.


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