SM UB-113

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-113.

SM UB-113 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 April 1918 as SM UB-113.^{[Note 1]}

UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-113.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-113
Ordered	6 / 8 February 1917[1]
Builder	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost	3,714,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	319
Launched	23 September 1917[2]
Commissioned	25 April 1918[2]
Fate	Lost September / October 1918[2]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	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 shaft 2 × MAN-Vulcan four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,085 bhp (809 kW) 2 × Maffei 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[2]
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 24 July – 14 September 1918
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Ulrich Pilzecker[3] 25 April – 14 September 1918
Operations:	2 patrols
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk (4,013 GRT)

UB-113 was lost in the autumn of 1918 for unknown reasons.^[2] According to recent sources, SM UB-113 probably crossed paths with the French gunboat l'Engageante on 29 August in the Gulf of Gascony and was sunk. Occasional confusion with the SM UB-123, which also met a mysterious fate, remains.

Construction

Main article: Type UB III submarine

She was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched in Hamburg on 23 September 1917. UB-113 was commissioned in the spring of the next year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Ulrich Pilzecker. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-113 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with an 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-113 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,420 nautical miles (13,740 km; 8,540 mi). UB-113 had a displacement of 519 t (511 long tons) while surfaced and 649 t (639 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 2]	Fate[4]
21 July 1918	Kongen	Norway	714	Sunk
17 August 1918	Eros	United Kingdom	1,122	Sunk
23 September 1918	Aldershot	United Kingdom	2,177	Sunk

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. Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations

1. Rössler 1979, p. 66.
2. Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ulrich Pilzecker". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 113". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

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.
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
• Rössler, Eberhard (1979). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.