SM UB-107 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
German Empire
Name	UB-107
Ordered	23 September 1916
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost	3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	313
Launched	21 July 1917
Commissioned	16 February 1918
Fate	sunk 27 July 1918 by British warships at 54°23′N 0°24′W / 54.383°N 0.400°W / 54.383; -0.400.
General characteristics
Class and type	German Type UB III submarine
Displacement	519 t (511 long tons) surfaced 649 t (639 long tons) submerged
Length	55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam	5.80 m (19 ft)
Draught	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shafts 2 × MAN-Vulcan diesel engines, 1,085 bhp (809 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW)
Speed	13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range	7,420 nmi (13,740 km; 8,540 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
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 10 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Flandern II Flotilla 16 May – 4 August 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans Howaldt 16 February – 16 May 1918 Kptlt. Eberhard von Prittwitz und Gaffron 17 May – 4 August 1918
Operations:	4 patrols
Victories:	11 merchant ships sunk (26,147 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (1,685 GRT)

SM UB-107 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat. She served in the German Imperial Navy (called Kaiserliche Marine in German) during World War I. The letters "SM" stand for "Seiner Majestät," which means "His Majesty's" in English. So, "SM UB-107" means "His Majesty's Submarine UB-107."

This submarine was officially put into service on February 16, 1918. During the war, UB-107 went on 4 missions. She managed to sink 11 merchant ships, which weighed a total of 26,147 tons. UB-107 was believed to have been sunk on July 27, 1918, by British warships.

Building a U-boat: The Story of UB-107

UB-107 was ordered by the German Imperial Navy on September 23, 1916. She was built by a company called Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany. After almost a year of construction, the submarine was launched into the water on July 21, 1917.

Like other Type UB III submarines, UB-107 was designed to carry 10 torpedoes. She also had a powerful deck gun that was about 8.8 centimeters (3.5 inches) wide. The submarine needed a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 sailors to operate.

UB-107 could travel a long distance without needing to refuel, about 7,420 nautical miles (13,742 kilometers). When on the surface, she weighed about 519 tons. When submerged underwater, she weighed 649 tons. Her engines allowed her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 kilometers per hour) on the surface and 7.4 knots (13.7 kilometers per hour) underwater.

The Mystery of UB-107's Final Fate

For a long time, it was thought that UB-107 was sunk by depth charges on July 27, 1918. This attack was carried out by the British Royal Navy trawler Calvis and HMY Vanessa II. However, some experts later argued that UB-107 might not have been there. This is because another U-boat, believed to be UB-107, was responsible for sinking two other ships, Chloris and John Rettig, just a few hours later.

SS Malvina on the River Thames

In 1985, divers found the wreck of UB-107 about one mile north of Flamborough Head in England. The submarine's wreck was tangled with another ship, the SS Malvina. The Malvina was a British steamship that had been sunk by a torpedo on August 3, 1918.

The UB-107 was identified by special markings on its propellers. It is now thought that UB-107 might have had an accident or hit a British mine sometime between July 28 and August 3, 1918. Sadly, if this is true, all 38 crew members would have been lost.

Ships Sunk or Damaged by UB-107

UB-107 was involved in several attacks on merchant ships during its patrols. Here is a list of the ships she sank or damaged:

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
10 May 1918	Erich Lea	Norway	1,630	Sunk
10 May 1918	Naparima	Sweden	1,685	Damaged
6 June 1918	Koningin Regentes	Netherlands	1,970	Sunk
8 June 1918	Hogarth	United Kingdom	1,231	Sunk
13 June 1918	Agnes	Sweden	1,334	Sunk
13 June 1918	Kalo	United Kingdom	1,957	Sunk
15 June 1918	Kieldrecht	United Kingdom	1,284	Sunk
8 July 1918	Chicago	United Kingdom	7,709	Sunk
8 July 1918	War Crocus	United Kingdom	5,296	Sunk
9 July 1918	Fryken	Sweden	943	Sunk
27 July 1918	Chloris	United Kingdom	984	Sunk
27 July 1918	John Rettig	Sweden	1,809	Sunk

UB-107 on TV: A Documentary Mystery

The story of UB-107's sinking was featured in an episode of the TV show Deep Sea Detectives. The episode was titled "Mystery U-Boat of WWI." This documentary looked at different ideas about how the submarine sank. It used both historical records and information from divers who explored the wreck.