SM UB-49

History

German Empire
Name:	U 49
Ordered:	20 May 1916^[1]
Builder:	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Cost:	3,276,000 German Papiermark
Yard number:	294
Launched:	6 January 1917
Commissioned:	28 June 1917
Fate:	Handed over to the United Kingdom 16 January 1919 and broken up in Swansea 1922.
General characteristics ^[2]
Class and type:	German Type UB III submarine
Displacement:	516 t (508 long tons) surfaced 651 t (641 long tons) submerged
Length:	55.30 m (181 ft 5 in) o/a
Beam:	5.80 m (19.0 ft)
Draught:	3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion:	2 × propeller shaft 2 × MAN four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engine, 1,050 bhp (780 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motor, 780 shp (580 kW) 450 rpm surfaced 362 rpm submerged
Speed:	13.6 knots (25.2 km/h; 15.7 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range:	9,040 nmi (16,740 km; 10,400 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 (164 ft 1 in)
Boats & landing craft carried:	1 dingi
Complement:	3 officers, 31 men
Sensors and processing systems:	2 periscopes
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:	Imperial German Navy
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans-Joachim von Mellenthin Oblt. z.S. Adolf Ehrensberger
Operations:	8 patrols
Victories:	40 ships (81,486 GRT), 1 escort

SM UB-49 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 28 June 1917 as SM UB-49.^{[nb 1]}

UB-49 served mainly in the Mediterranean. In the Austro-Hungarian Navy she was listed as SM U-80. In eight wartime patrols she sank 40 ships totaling 81,486 gross register tons (GRT) and one escort. After the Armistice with Germany UB-49 returned to Kiel via Norway. Handed over to the United Kingdom on 16 January 1919, she was broken up in Swansea in 1922.

Construction

Main article: German Type UB III submarine

UB-49 was ordered by the German Imperial Navy on 20 May 1916. She was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 6 January 1917. UB-49 was commissioned later that same year under the command of Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Hans-Joachim von Mellenthin. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-49 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with an 8.8 centimetres (3.5 in) deck gun. UB-49 could carry a crew of up to 34 men and had a cruising range of 9,040 nautical miles (16,740 km; 10,400 mi). UB-49 had a displacement of 516 t (508 long tons; 569 short tons) while surfaced and 651 t (641 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.6 knots (25.2 km/h; 15.7 mph) when surfaced and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) when submerged.^[3]

Service history

First War Patrol

On 22 August 1917, UB-49 left Kiel for Cattaro to join the Pola Flotilla passing the Orkney-Shetland barrier four days later. Before breaking through the Strait of Gibraltar, UB-49 sank six ships, damaging one further. On 9 September 1917 loss of fuel forced UB-49 to change course and make for Cadiz in neutral Spain.

Second War Patrol

While Spanish authorities planned to intern UB-49 for the duration of the war, her crew managed to repair the damage to the fuel tanks and bunker enough oil to reach Cattaro. On 6 October 1917, UB-49 slipped out of the harbour and reached Cattaro nine days later with no fuel left. After refuelling UB-49 sailed for Pola where the boat was repaired.

Third War Patrol

On 11 December 1917, UB-49 left Pola for a cruise in the Gulf of Genoa. Already on the first day, UB-49 was attacked by an enemy submarine. The next day, two Italian sailing ships were sunk, while exchanging fire with a coastal battery at the same time. On 15 December 1917, UB-49 managed to sink three steamers out of a convoy leaving Genoa, followed by two more the next day. On 22 December 1917, another two steamers were hit by torpedoes of UB-49. The last torpedo on this cruise UB-49 used on a British steamer off Naples.

Fourth War Patrol

Between 23 January and 13 February 1918 UB-49 operated in the Gulf of Genoa again, sinking several Italian sailing ships, a British steamer and an Italian escort vessel, G 32. On the way back to Cattaro, UB-49 experienced problems with her ballast tanks east of Malta and dived uncontrolled to a depth of 67 metres (220 ft). Using compressed air to blow out all ballast tanks simultaneously, UB-49 was able to surface again and continue her journey to Cattaro.

Fifth War Patrol

On 5 March 1918, UB-49 left Cattaro again to operate in the Tyrrhenian Sea. From 13 March 1918 UB-49 pursued a convoy leaving Genoa for Naples and in two days managed to sink three out of four steamers. East of Sardinia, an Italian steamer and a French tug boat fell victim to UB-49. Between 19 and 21 March 1918, UB-49 operated in the Gulf of Naples, sinking several Italian sailing ships and shelling the fortifications of Civitavecchia. A fire in one of the dynamos forced UB-49 to return to base on 25 March 1918.

Sixth War Patrol

UB-49 sailed on 11 May 1918 for her sixth war patrol, which led her into the Gulf of Lion and the Western Mediterranean. In the last week of May, UB-49 successfully attacked Allied shipping south of the Balearic Islands, sinking three steamers. On 2 June, UB-49 - running low on fuel - turned back to Pola for a major overhaul. When she arrived there on 12 June 1918, Kptlt. von Mellenthin handed over command of UB-49 to Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Alfred Ehrensberger.

Seventh War Patrol

After three months in port, UB-49 went to sea again on 11 September 1918. Headed for the Western Mediterranean, Ehrensberger was less successful than von Mellenthin. A strong Allied presence of escorts pressed UB-49 under the surface more and more often. Nevertheless, UB-49 sank two ships off the Spanish coast. UB-49 made port again on 12 October 1918.

Eighth War Patrol

When it became apparent that Austria-Hungary's situation was untenable, UB-49 was ordered to return to Kiel. Leaving Pola on 29 October 1918 she reached the Norwegian port of Lervik in the last week of November 1918. Together with most of the other u-boats from the Mediterranean, UB-49 arrived in Kiel on 29 November 1918.

Aftermath

The Armistice with Germany required that all u-boats had to be surrendered to the Allies. UB-49 was handed over to the United Kingdom on 16 January 1919. In 1922 the u-boat was broken up in Swansea.

Summary of raiding history

Ships sunk by SM *UB-49*^[4]
Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[nb 2]}	Fate
000000001917-09-02-00002 September 1917	Caracas	Norway	1,077	Sunk
000000001917-09-04-00004 September 1917	Theodora	Greece	2,899	Sunk
000000001917-09-06-00006 September 1917	Moina	France	168	Sunk
000000001917-09-07-00007 September 1917	Brodmead	United Kingdom	5,646	Damaged
000000001917-09-07-00007 September 1917	Clan Ferguson	United Kingdom	4,808	Sunk
000000001917-09-07-00007 September 1917	Hunsbridge	United Kingdom	3,424	Sunk
000000001917-09-07-00007 September 1917	Casa Blanca	Portugal	31	Sunk
000000001917-12-16-000016 December 1917	San Francesco di Paola	Kingdom of Italy	51	Sunk
000000001917-12-16-000016 December 1917	New York	Kingdom of Italy	442	Sunk
000000001917-12-18-000018 December 1917	Giuilo S	Kingdom of Italy	151	Damaged
000000001917-12-20-000020 December 1917	Attualita	Kingdom of Italy	4,791	Sunk
000000001917-12-20-000020 December 1917	Regin	Norway	1,845	Sunk
000000001917-12-20-000020 December 1917	Suruga	United States	4,374	Damaged
000000001917-12-21-000021 December 1917	Stromboli	Kingdom of Italy	5,356	Sunk
000000001917-12-21-000021 December 1917	Monte Bianco	Kingdom of Italy	6,968	Damaged
000000001917-12-22-000022 December 1917	Caboto	Kingdom of Italy	4,418	Sunk
000000001917-12-22-000022 December 1917	Piemonte	Kingdom of Italy	2,395	Damaged
000000001917-12-25-000025 December 1917	Umballa	United Kingdom	5,310	Sunk
000000001918-01-26-000026 January 1918	Caterina	Kingdom of Italy	21	Sunk
000000001918-01-28-000028 January 1918	Lysi	Kingdom of Italy	247	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Paolo Meriga	Kingdom of Italy	127	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Lavoro	Kingdom of Italy	160	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Elsa	Kingdom of Italy	165	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Ada	Kingdom of Italy	179	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Lucia Martini	Kingdom of Italy	160	Sunk
000000001918-01-29-000029 January 1918	Fanny	Kingdom of Italy	74	Sunk
000000001918-02-04-00004 February 1918	General Church	United Kingdom	6,600	Damaged
000000001918-02-07-00007 February 1918	G 32	Regia Marina	237	Sunk
000000001918-02-07-00007 February 1918	Mette	Denmark	118	Sunk
000000001918-03-13-000013 March 1918	San Francesco di Paolo	Kingdom of Italy	25	Sunk
000000001918-03-13-000013 March 1918	Umta	United Kingdom	5,422	Damaged
000000001918-03-14-000014 March 1918	Principessa Laetitia	Kingdom of Italy	4,011	Sunk
000000001918-03-15-000015 March 1918	Clan McDougall	United Kingdom	4,710	Sunk
000000001918-03-17-000017 March 1918	Tripoli	Kingdom of Italy	1,743	Sunk
000000001918-03-18-000018 March 1918	Utrecht	France	293	Sunk
000000001918-03-19-000019 March 1918	San Francesco di Paola	Kingdom of Italy	70	Sunk
000000001918-03-19-000019 March 1918	Giovanni Albonese	Kingdom of Italy	497	Sunk
000000001918-03-20-000020 March 1918	Angelo Raffaele	Kingdom of Italy	53	Sunk
000000001918-03-21-000021 March 1918	Dante C	Kingdom of Italy	129	Sunk
000000001918-03-25-000025 March 1918	Carlo Splendor	Kingdom of Italy	105	Sunk
000000001918-05-26-000026 May 1918	Le Gard	France	1,458	Sunk
000000001918-05-27-000027 May 1918	Uganda	United Kingdom	5,431	Sunk
000000001918-05-27-000027 May 1918	Carmela	Kingdom of Italy	128	Sunk
000000001918-05-28-000028 May 1918	Pietro Maroncelli	Kingdom of Italy	5,134	Sunk
000000001918-06-03-00003 June 1918	Mecanicien Donzel	France	8,227	Sunk
000000001918-09-27-000027 September 1918	Hatasu	United Kingdom	3,193	Sunk
000000001918-10-01-00001 October 1918	Francoli	Spain	1,241	Sunk
		Total:	81,486

Notes

↑ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
↑ Tonnages are in gross register tons

References

↑ Rössler 2000, p. 65.
↑ Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
↑ Gröner 1991, pp. 52.
↑ Bendert 2000, pp. 123-125.

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. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Rössler, Eberhard (1979). U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 – 1945. Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften (in German). I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.

German Type UB III submarines

SM UB-48 SM UB-49 SM UB-50 SM UB-51 SM UB-52 SM UB-53 SM UB-54 SM UB-55 SM UB-56 SM UB-57 SM UB-58 SM UB-59 SM UB-60 SM UB-61 SM UB-62 SM UB-63 SM UB-64 SM UB-65 SM UB-66 SM UB-67 SM UB-68 SM UB-69 SM UB-70 SM UB-71 SM UB-72 SM UB-73 SM UB-74 SM UB-75 SM UB-76 SM UB-77 SM UB-78 SM UB-79 SM UB-80 SM UB-81 SM UB-82 SM UB-83 SM UB-84 SM UB-85 SM UB-86 SM UB-87 SM UB-88 SM UB-89 SM UB-90 SM UB-91 SM UB-92 SM UB-93 SM UB-94 SM UB-95 SM UB-96 SM UB-97 SM UB-98 SM UB-99 SM UB-100 SM UB-101 SM UB-102 SM UB-103 SM UB-104 SM UB-105 SM UB-106 SM UB-107 SM UB-108 SM UB-109 SM UB-110 SM UB-111 SM UB-112 SM UB-113 SM UB-114 SM UB-115 SM UB-116 SM UB-117 SM UB-118 SM UB-119 SM UB-120 SM UB-121 SM UB-122 SM UB-123 SM UB-124 SM UB-125 SM UB-126 SM UB-127 SM UB-128 SM UB-129 SM UB-130 SM UB-131 SM UB-132 SM UB-133 SM UB-136 SM UB-142 SM UB-143 SM UB-144 SM UB-145 SM UB-148 SM UB-149 SM UB-150 SM UB-154 SM UB-155

Preceded by: Type UB II Followed by: Type VII (World War II)

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