SM UB-29 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 31 December 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 January 1916 as SM UB-29."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
The submarine sank 36 ships in 17 patrols for a total of . UB-29 was supposedly sunk by two depth charges from south of Goodwin Sands at on 13 December 1916 , although the location of its wreck discovered in Belgian waters, approximately 15 nm NW of Ostend, contradicts this claim. The Landrail might have mistaken UB-29 for another boat, possibly the UC-19.
The UB-29s wreckage – exceptionally well preserved and with the hull still intact – was found by Belgian divers in the summer of 2017, and formally identified in November 2017. Its exact location was not published, in order to enable further research and protection of the site.
Design A Type UB II submarine, UB-29 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a beam of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Benz six-cylinder diesel engines producing a total , two Siemens-Schuckert electric motors producing , and one propeller shaft. She was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . UB-29 was fitted with two torpedo tubes, four torpedoes, and one SK L/40 deck gun. She had a complement of twenty-one crew members and two officers and a thirty-second dive time.
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate19 March 1916Nominoe3,155Sunk20 March 1916Langeli1,565Sunk20 March 1916Skodsborg1,697Sunk24 March 1916Salybia3,352Sunk24 March 1916Sussex1,353Damaged6 April 1916Vesuvio1,391Sunk6 April 1916Asger Ryg1,134Sunk7 April 1916Braunton4,575Sunk7 April 1916Marguerite42Sunk25 April 1916Berkelstroom736Sunk25 April 19163,750Damaged17 May 1916Boy Percy46Sunk17 May 1916Boy Sam46Sunk17 May 1916Wanderer47Sunk6 August 1916Loch Lomond42Sunk3 September 1916Gotthard1,636Sunk3 September 1916Notre Dame De Lourdes161Sunk5 September 1916Jeanne1,191Sunk6 September 1916Torridge5,036Sunk6 September 1916Yvonne104Sunk7 September 1916Alice119Sunk9 September 1916Consolation47Sunk9 September 1916Dorado36Sunk9 September 1916Favourite38Sunk9 September 1916Muriel Franklin29Sunk21 October 1916Fart 3230Sunk21 October 1916Grit147Sunk21 October 1916Princess May104Sunk22 October 1916Georges M. Embiricos3,636Sunk24 October 1916Anna Gurine1,147Sunk24 October 1916Sidmouth4,045Sunk28 October 1916Saint Charles521Sunk12 November 1916Batavier VI1,085Captured as prize15 November 1916Midsland1,085Captured as prize1 December 1916Bossi1,462Sunk1 December 1916Briardene2,701Sunk2 December 1916Hitterøy1,985Sunk6 December 1916Ans362Sunk6 December 1916Marie325Sunk7 December 1916Keltier2,360Damaged7 December 1916Meteor4,217Sunk
Wreckage The well preserved wreckage of the submarine was discovered in 2017 off the coast of Ostend. Hence, the assumption that it was sunk south of Goodwin Sands after a collision with HMS Landrail cannot be maintained. One possible explanation is that UB-29 escaped after the collision, and ran into a mine in Belgian waters. Another explanation is that HMS Landrail sank another U-boat, possibly the UC-19. The German government decided to leave the 22 crew members in the wreckage. Only some minor artefacts lying outside the submarine will be salvaged for an exposition in Belgium and will later be handed to the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg.
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