SM UB-88 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 26 January 1918 as SM UB-88.

Construction

She was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 11 December 1917. UB-88 was commissioned early the next year under the command of Oblt.z.S. Johannes Ries. Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-88 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 10.5 cm (4.13 in) deck gun. UB-88 would carry a crew of up to 3 officers and 31 men and had a cruising range of 7,120 nautical miles (13,190 km; 8,190 mi). UB-88 had a displacement of 510 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 640 t (630 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) when surfaced and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) when submerged.

Service history

SM UB-88 in Miami, Florida (c. 1919)
SM UB-88 in the U.S. c. 1920

UB-88 was surrendered to the United States on 26 November 1918 in accordance with the requirements of the Armistice with Germany. She was refurbished and did an exhibition tour in 1919 from New York, down the East Coast, and up the Mississippi River before passing through the Panama Canal and touring the West Coast as far north as Seattle, Washington.

After having all useful parts and salvage stripped from her, she was sunk as a target on 3 January 1921 in waters off Los Angeles County, California. The propellers were saved and placed on display in the city of San Pedro but were stolen in 1923 by metal thieves and were never recovered.

The wreck of the vessel was found in July 2003 using publicly available sonar data from the Pacific Seafloor Mapping project. She sits upright approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) south of the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles at a depth of 190 feet (58 m). The outer hull has corroded revealing the inner pressure hull. Divers have entered the wreck and found the interior to be almost completely bare. As she was given a special commission to the United States Navy, she is protected by the Sunken Military Craft Act.

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnageFate
10 June 1918Princess MaudUnited Kingdom1,566Sunk
10 June 1918DoraSweden1,555Sunk
22 June 1918AvanceSweden1,585Sunk
23 June 1918LondonUnited Kingdom1,706Sunk
25 June 1918African TransportUnited Kingdom4,482Sunk
25 June 1918MoorlandsUnited Kingdom3,602Sunk
29 June 1918HerdisUnited Kingdom1,157Sunk
29 June 1918Sixty-sixUnited Kingdom214Sunk
30 July 1918BayrontoUnited Kingdom6,045Damaged
3 August 1918BerwindUnited States2,589Sunk
3 August 1918Lake PortageUnited States1,998Sunk
4 August 1918HundvaagøNorway1,901Sunk
9 August 1918Anselma De LarrinagaUnited Kingdom4,090Damaged
16 September 1918PhilomelUnited Kingdom3,050Sunk
19 September 1918FannySweden1,450Sunk
22 September 1918PolesleyUnited Kingdom4,221Sunk

Notes

Citations

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). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Rössler, Eberhard (1979). (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.
  • Wright, Christopher C. (1986). "The Last Strange Cruise of UB-88". Warship International. XXIII (3): 287–302. ISSN .

External links

  • from Naval History and Heritage Command website.
  • , United States Navy sailor who served aboard UB-88 following surrender, Charles Daniel Turner Collection (AFC/2001/001/27862), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress