SM UB-53 explained

SM UB-53 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the Imperial German Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. She was commissioned into the Pola Flotilla of the German Imperial Navy on 21 August 1917 as SM UB-53.

She operated as part of the Pola Flotilla based in Cattaro. UB-53 was sunk by mines of the Otranto Barrage on 3 August 1918 at 39.6667°N 58°W in the Otranto Strait, 10 crew members died.SS Athenia (1914). On 7 April 1918 the submarine saw an airship catch fire accidentally and crash into the sea near the Strait of Otranto with the loss of all hands. It apparently was the German Navy Zeppelin L 59, modified for long-range flights, on the outbound leg of a flight from Yambol, Bulgaria, in an attempt to bomb the Royal Navy base at Malta.[1]

Construction

See main article: Type UB III submarine. UB-53 was ordered by the GIN on 20 May 1916. She was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 9 March 1917. UB-53 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kptlt. Robert Sprenger.Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-53 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.82NaN2 deck gun. UB-53 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 9040nmi. UB-53 had a displacement of 516lk=inNaNlk=in while surfaced and 651t when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.6kn when surfaced and when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage[2] Fate[3]
17 December 1917Nina Greece126Sunk
31 December 1917Lily Greece2,993Sunk
20 February 1918Taxiarchis Greece292Sunk
26 February 1918Saida France45Sunk
2 March 1918Euxeinos Greece2,891Sunk
6 March 1918Kalgan United Kingdom1,862Sunk
9 April 1918Aveiro Portugal2,209Sunk
22 April 1918Kheda Moulekar France40Sunk
22 April 1918Marshalla United Kingdom77Sunk
22 April 1918Sadika France45Sunk
22 April 1918Welbeck Hall United Kingdom5,643Sunk
24 April 1918Mabrouska France256Sunk
27 April 1918Azizeh France30Sunk
27 April 1918Nemaat Kheda France40Sunk

References

Citations

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 236.
  2. Tonnages are in gross register tons
  3. ub53. UB-53. 1boat. 5 December 2014.