SM UB-18 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy () during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 30 April 1915 and launched on 21 August 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 December 1915 as SM UB-18."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine. The submarine sank 128 ships in 31 patrols for a total of and 725 tons, making her the 17th most successful U-boat in both world wars. UB-18 was rammed by the trawler Ben Lawer and sunk in the English Channel at on 9 December 1917.
Design A Type UB II submarine, ‘’UB-18’’ had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. They had a length overall of , a beam of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Daimler six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing (a total of ), two Siemens-Schuckert electric motors producing , and one propeller shaft. She had a dive time of 45 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced she could travel at . UB-18 was fitted with two torpedo tubes in the bow, four torpedoes, and one Tk L/40 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-three crew members.
Service history Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Franz Wäger took command of UB-18 upon commissioning on 11 December 1915. Wäger handed over command to Oblt.z.S. Otto Steinbrinck,Steinbrinck was the most successful of the Flanders U-boat commanders. After the war he joined the Flick group and became a leading industrialist. In 1933 he joined the Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS. He was indicted in the Flick Trial at Nuremberg in 1947 and found guilty of membership in a criminal organisation. who sailed her to Zeebrugge, arriving on 16 February, the first U-boat of the type to be based there.
1st War Patrol At the end of February 1916, UB-18 left Zeebrugge for the approaches to Le Havre. On 26 February she launched a torpedo hitting the French steamer , whose sinking was not observed. The attack on the French auxiliary minesweeper Au Revoir was more successful, sinking the 20-year-old ship of 1,058 GRT, killing 18 crew members. UB-18 returned to base arriving there 29 February 1916.
2nd War Patrol On 4 March 1916 UB-18 provided flank cover for a German fleet sortie against the English east coast.
3rd War Patrol From 7–11 March 1916, UB-18 operated against Allied shipping off Boulogne and Le Havre. On 8 March, she sunk a British steamer, , and the following day, a Norwegian freighter, the Silius, and a French steamer, , fell victims to UB-18s torpedoes.
4th War Patrol On 21 March 1916, UB-18 left Zeebrugge again for the Le Havre area, where she successfully attacked ships lying in the roads. Two ships, the British freighter , and the Norwegian steamer were hit by torpedoes and sank. The two reloads did not show any hits. UB-18 returned to Zeebrugge, arriving on 29 March 1916. That day, the Flanders Flotilla was formed, and Steinbrinck was awarded the coveted Pour le Mérite order.
Loss Sailing on her last patrol, she was seen off Start Point, Devon by on 4 December 1917, bound for the Western Approaches. Early on the morning of 9 December she inadvertently surfaced close to the trawler Ben Lawer, which was escorting a coal convoy. The trawler immediately rammed her just aft of the conning tower, sinking her; there were no survivors. The impact was substantial, with the Ben Lawer so badly damaged that she only just made port.McCartney, I. (2003). Lost patrols: Submarine wrecks of the English Channel. 24-25. Penzance: Periscope Books.
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate26 February 1916Au Revoir1,058Sunk8 March 1916Harmatris4,863Sunk9 March 1916Louisiane5,109Sunk9 March 1916Silius1,559Sunk22 March 1916Kelvinbank4,209Sunk23 March 1916Kannik2,397Sunk5 April 1916Baus1,287Sunk5 April 1916Jeannette160Sunk7 April 1916Clyde204Sunk7 April 1916Eemdijk3,048Damaged25 April 1916725Sunk26 April 1916Alfred24Sunk17 May 1916Research44Sunk15 July 1916Bertha203Sunk15 July 1916Dina164Sunk17 July 1916Gertrude57Sunk17 July 1916Glance60Sunk17 July 1916Loch Nevis58Sunk17 July 1916Loch Tay44Sunk17 July 1916V.M.G.59Sunk17 July 1916Waverley59Sunk2 August 1916G. C. Gradwell156Sunk2 August 1916Margaret Sutton197Sunk2 August 1916S.D.131Sunk3 August 1916Badger89Sunk3 August 1916Fortuna131Sunk3 August 1916Ivo56Damaged3 August 1916Jacques Cartier259Sunk3 August 1916Sphene740Sunk4 August 1916Demaris98Sunk4 August 1916Ermenilda94Sunk5 August 1916Spiral1,342Sunk9 August 1916Henri Elisa822Sunk10 August 1916Marie784Sunk10 August 1916Credo728Sunk10 August 1916Saint Pierre149Sunk10 August 1916Sora1,052Sunk10 August 1916Annette Marie118Sunk3 September 1916Netta370Sunk3 September 1916Teesborough308Sunk5 September 1916City of Ghent199Sunk5 September 1916Marcel1,433Sunk8 September 1916Gamen2,619Sunk9 September 1916Georges Andre229Sunk9 September 1916Lodsen1,247Sunk9 September 1916Myosotis64Sunk9 September 1916HMS Carrigan Head4,201Damaged10 September 1916Furu2,029Sunk10 September 1916Marechal De Villars1,908Sunk10 September 1916Polynesia4,064Sunk11 September 1916Assimacos2,898Sunk11 September 1916Kong Ring1,611Sunk11 September 1916Luis Vives2,160Sunk12 September 1916Antwerpen7,955Sunk13 September 1916Ariel49Sunk13 September 1916Hans Jensen1,824Sunk13 September 1916J. N. Madvig1,762Sunk13 September 1916Tolosa1,833Sunk14 September 1916Ethel1,122Sunk20 October 1916Cliburn440Sunk20 October 1916The Duke376Sunk20 October 1916The Marchioness553Sunk21 October 1916Brizeux2,197Sunk21 October 1916Condor740Sunk21 October 1916Fulvio309Sunk21 October 1916Rabbi878Sunk24 October 1916Cannebiere2,454Sunk26 October 1916Pan796Sunk23 November 1916Hendrick35Sunk24 November 1916Øifjeld1,988Sunk25 November 1916Emlynverne544Sunk27 November 1916Borø819Sunk27 November 1916Perra1,682Sunk27 November 1916Rhona640Sunk28 November 1916Auguste Marie63Sunk28 November 1916Lucienne1,046Sunk30 November 1916Aud1,102Sunk30 November 1916Christabel175Sunk30 November 1916E.L.G.25Sunk30 November 1916Egholm1,348Sunk30 November 1916Marie Marguerite136Sunk30 November 1916Njaal718Sunk30 November 1916Saint Ansbert275Sunk1 December 1916T. And A.C.23Sunk1 December 1916Indiana178Sunk1 December 1916Saint Joseph182Sunk2 December 1916Skjoldulf502Sunk3 December 1916Mizpah57Sunk3 December 1916Seeker74Sunk3 December 1916Yrsa879Sunk31 December 1916Eva1,081Sunk31 December 1916Flora1,033Sunk2 January 1917Bestik2,185Sunk2 January 1917Ellik603Sunk4 January 1917Næsborg1,547Sunk5 January 1917Danevirke1,433Sunk1 February 1917Wellhome113Damaged3 February 1917Confiante85Sunk3 February 1917Goeland305Sunk3 February 1917Lars Kruse1,460Sunk3 February 1917Sainte Marie60Sunk4 February 1917Cerera3,512Sunk28 February 1917Harriet Williams157Sunk1 March 1917Chatburn1,942Sunk12 March 1917Topaz696Sunk15 March 1917Adieu Va64Sunk16 March 1917Sir Joseph84Sunk17 March 1917Marie Louise291Sunk17 March 1917Marie Louise426Sunk18 March 1917Marie Louise33Sunk1 May 1917C. A. Jaques2,105Sunk2 May 1917Juno1,384Sunk2 May 1917Tela7,226Sunk11 May 1917Tarpeia538Sunk14 May 1917Elizabeth Hampton108Sunk15 May 1917Panaghi Lykiardopoulo3,193Sunk3 June 1917HMS Sarah Colebrooke158Damaged6 June 1917Cornelia170Sunk8 June 1917Cariad38Sunk8 June 1917Ocean's Pride42Sunk8 June 1917Onward39Sunk8 June 1917Torbay Lass38Sunk9 June 1917Marjorie119Sunk5 July 1917Bjerkø1,871Sunk22 July 1917Breda257Sunk22 July 1917Nereus110Sunk24 July 1917Oostzee199Sunk24 July 1917Montevideo 488unknownSunk25 July 1917Janna145Sunk25 July 1917Spes Mea75Sunk16 September 1917Facto2,372Sunk12 October 1917Peebles4,284Sunk8 December 1917Nonni4,105Sunk
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