SM UB-43
UB-43 in port, c. 1915–16
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History | |
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German Empire | |
Name | UB-43 |
Ordered | 31 July 1915[1] |
Builder | AG Weser, Bremen[1] |
Yard number | 245[1] |
Laid down | 3 September 1915[1] |
Launched | 8 April 1916[1] |
Commissioned | 24 April 1916[1] |
Decommissioned | 21 July 1917[1] |
Fate | Sold to Austria-Hungary |
Service record as UB-43 | |
Part of: |
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Commanders: |
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Operations: | 10 patrols |
Victories: | |
Austria-Hungary | |
Name | SM U-43 |
Acquired | 21 July 1917 |
Commissioned | 30 July 1917 |
Fate | Ceded to France as war reparation , 1920; scrapped |
Service record as U-43 | |
Commanders: |
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Victories: |
1 merchant ship damaged (4,016 GRT)[2] |
General characteristics [3] | |
Class and type |
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Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam |
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Draught | 3.69 m (12 ft 1 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Complement | 23 |
Armament |
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SM UB-43 was a
UB-43 was ordered in July 1915 and was
.The German Imperial Navy was having difficulties filling submarine crews with trained men and offered to sell UB-43 and a sister boat,
Design and construction
The
The Imperial German Navy ordered UB-43 from
The submarine was equipped with twin
UB-43 was equipped with two 50-centimeter (19.7 in) bow torpedo tubes and could carry four torpedoes. The U-boat was also armed with one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun.[3]
UB-43 was laid down by AG Weser at its Bremen shipyard on 3 September 1915.[1] As one of six U-boats selected for service in the Mediterranean while under construction, UB-43 was broken into railcar-sized components and shipped overland to the Austro-Hungarian port of Pola.[8][9] Shipyard workers from Weser assembled the boat and her five sisters at Pola,[8] where she was launched on 8 April.[1]
SM UB-43 was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 24 April 1916 under the command of
Under Niebuhr's command, UB-43 had no success,
In October, von Mellenthin and UB-43 sank an additional two ships.
On 18 November, the
In the meantime, UB-43 had continued sinking British ships, sending down five in a nine-day span in early November.
On 6 November, UB-43 torpedoed the
UB-43 and von Mellenthin sank three more British steamers in December: Bretwalda on the 13th, and Russian and Westminster on the 14th.
UB-43 sank no ships over the next eight weeks.[16] Author Paul Halpern reports that the majority of the German U-boats in the Mediterranean fleet were undergoing repairs and refits at Pola and Cattaro during January. Although no specific mention is made of repairs done on UB-43, the U-boat's inactivity in this period may be for that reason.[33]
Unrestricted submarine warfare
On 1 February 1917,
Under these new rules of engagement, UB-43 first sank the Greek steamer Miaoulis 130 nautical miles (240 km; 150 mi) from
She was nearly a month later before von Mellenthin and UB-43 sank their next target. On 26 March, the British steamer Ledbury, carrying wheat from Karachi, was sunk 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) from Benghazi.[41] Eight days later, Vasilefs Constantinos, a Greek steamer of 4,070 gross register tons (GRT), was sunk in the Ionian Sea; the Constantinos was the last ship sunk by UB-43 under von Mellenthin's command.[42] On 9 April, von Mellenthin was succeeded by Oblt.z.S. Horst Obermüller,[1] a 26-year-old first time U-boat commander.[43] Under von Mellenthin's command, UB-43 had sunk 86,236 gross register tons (GRT) of merchant shipping.[Note 3]
On 1 May, Obermüller sank the American-owned (but British-flagged) tanker British Sun carrying a load of fuel oil.[44] According to a report in The New York Times, the 5,565 GRT vessel, valued at $2,500,000, was "one of the finest" tankers.[44][45] The collier Repton was sent down off Cape Matapan six days later; three of the British steamer's crewmen died in the attack.[46] Later in the month, the Greek steamer Dorothy and her cargo of wheat from Karachi were sunk 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) from Cap D'Armi.[47] UB-43's final attack of note was upon the protected cruiser HMS Grafton, torpedoed 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) east of Malta. Grafton was damaged but suffered no casualties.[48] The 7,350-tonne (7,230-long-ton)-displacement British ship was brought safely into port at Malta.[49]
On 21 July, UB-43 was
In November 1916, the German Imperial Navy, having a hard time finding trained submarine crews, inquired to find out if its ally Austria-Hungary was interested in purchasing some of its Mediterranean submarines. A general agreement led to protracted negotiations, which stalled over the outflow of Austro-Hungarian gold reserves to Germany. But, with all of the details worked out, the two parties agreed on the sale of UB-43 and sister ship UB-47 to Austria-Hungary in June 1917.[50][Note 5]
When handed over by the Germans on 21 July, UB-43 was in a "worn out condition". Despite the rough condition of the boat, the U-boat was commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 30 July 1917 as SM U-43, dropping the B from her former designation. Linienschiffsleutnant Friedrich Schlosser was installed as the new commander of the U-boat,[2] which remained at Pola for the next three months undergoing repairs. Departing that port on 1 November, U-43 made way to Cattaro, and then went out on patrol.[51] Schlosser torpedoed the Italian steamer Orione on 16 November, but the Italian ship did not sink; she was towed to safety in Taranto.[52]
On 30 November, a leak on U-43 partially flooded the boat and caused her to sink to a depth of 100 metres (330 ft) before she was brought under control and raised to the surface. The flooding damaged the U-boat's electrical systems, preventing her from submerging on her return to port for repairs. An unidentified submarine launched a torpedo at the surfaced U-43, but the torpedo's aim was off and it passed harmlessly in front of the bow. The boat made port at Cattaro on 1 December and at Pola on 6 December for two months of repairs.[51]
During U-43's time under repair, Schlosser was reassigned to command
The U-boat returned to action in June and patrolled off
At the end of the war, U-43 was at Cattaro.
Summary of raiding history
As the German UB-43
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 6] | Fate |
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14 September 1916 | Italiana | United Kingdom | 2,663 | Sunk |
17 September 1916 | Dewa | United Kingdom | 3,802 | Sunk |
17 September 1916 | Lord Tredegar | United Kingdom | 3,856 | Sunk |
10 October 1916 | Elax | United Kingdom | 3,980 | Sunk |
13 October 1916 | Welsh Prince | United Kingdom | 4,934 | Sunk |
3 November 1916 | Statesman | United Kingdom | 6,153 | Sunk |
4 November 1916 | Clan Leslie | United Kingdom | 3,937 | Sunk |
4 November 1916 | Huntsvale | United Kingdom | 5,398 | Sunk |
6 November 1916 | Arabia | United Kingdom | 7,903 | Sunk |
12 November 1916 | Kapunda | United Kingdom | 3,383 | Sunk |
13 December 1916 | Bretwalda | United Kingdom | 4,037 | Sunk |
14 December 1916 | Russian | United Kingdom | 8,825 | Sunk |
14 December 1916 | Westminster | United Kingdom | 4,342 | Sunk |
24 February 1917 | Miaoulis | Greece | 2,918 | Sunk |
26 February 1917 | Clan Farquhar | United Kingdom | 5,858 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | Brodmore | United Kingdom | 4,071 | Sunk |
28 February 1917 | Shinsei Maru | Japan | 3,060 | Sunk |
26 March 1917 | Ledbury | United Kingdom | 3,046 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Vasilefs Constantinos | Greece | 4,070 | Sunk |
1 May 1917 | British Sun | United Kingdom | 5,565 | Sunk |
7 May 1917 | Repton | United Kingdom | 2,881 | Sunk |
26 May 1917 | Dorothy | Greece | 4,494 | Sunk |
11 June 1917 | HMS Grafton | Royal Navy | 7,350 | Damaged |
Sunk: Damaged: Total: |
99,176 7,350 106,526 |
As the Austro-Hungarian U-43
Date | Name | Nationality | [Note 6]Tonnage | Fate |
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16 November 1917 | Orione | Kingdom of Italy | 4,016 | Damaged |
Damaged: | 4,016 |
Notes
- ^ Oberleutnant zur See Niebuhr was in the Navy's April 1907 cadet class with 34 other future U-boat captains, including Werner Fürbringer, Heino von Heimburg, Hans Howaldt, Otto Steinbrinck, and Ralph Wenninger. See: Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI Officer Crews: Crew 4/07". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
- ^ Since the early stages of the war, the British had blockaded Germany, preventing neutral shipping from reaching German ports. By the time of the so-called "turnip winter" of 1916–17, the blockade had severely limited imports of food and fuel into Germany. Among the results were an increase in infant mortality and as many as 700,000 deaths attributed to starvation or hypothermia during the war. See: Tarrant, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Von Mellenthin went on to command UB-49 (one of the earliest of the UB III U-boats) and, later, U-120, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite in February 1918. See: Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Hans von Mellenthin". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Oberleutnant zur See Obermüller, UB-43's commander at the time she was decommissioned, went on to command the coastal minelayer UC-34 and, later, UB-132. See: Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Horst Obermüller". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ UB-43 and UB-47 were not the first former Imperial German Navy submarines purchased by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. In 1915 the Austro-Hungarian Navy purchased the German U-boats UB-1 and UB-15 and commissioned them as U-10 and U-11, respectively. See: Gardiner, p. 343.
- ^ gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 43". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: KUK U43". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 23–25.
- ^ Gardiner, p. 174.
- ^ a b c Miller, p. 48.
- ^ Williamson, p. 13.
- ^ a b c Tarrant, p. 172.
- ^ a b Halpern, p. 383.
- ^ Miller, p. 49.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Dietrich Niebuhr". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Halpern, p. 384.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Italiana". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Dewa". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Lord Tredegar". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ "War risk insurance". The Wall Street Journal. 21 September 1916. p. 7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 43". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Elax". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Welsh Prince". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Lists 22 violations of German pledge". The New York Times. 19 November 1916. p. 3.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Statesman". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Clan Leslie". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Huntsvale". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Arabia". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Steamer Arabia fires on diver". San Francisco Chronicle. 11 November 1916. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Arabia torpedoed without warning". The New York Times. 9 November 1916. p. 8.
- ^ "Arabia (1105587)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Kapunda". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ The merchant vessel tonnage sunk by German U-boats in the Mediterranean in November 1916 was 166,130 tons. See: Tarrant, p. 148.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Bretwalda". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Gibson and Prendergast, p. 134.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Russian". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Westminster". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Halpern, p. 390.
- ^ Tarrant, pp. 45–46.
- ^ Tarrant, p. 46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Miaoulis". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Berlin reports 15 ships sunk in Mediterranean". Chicago Daily Tribune. 9 March 1917. p. 2.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Clan Farquhar". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Brodmore". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Shinsei Maru". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Ledbury". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Vasilefs Constantinos". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Horst Obermüller". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: British Sun". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ "8,600-ton steamer is sunk". The New York Times. 4 May 1917. p. 4. According to the article, British Sun was 8,600 tons, but Uboat.net and the Miramar Ship Index both list the vessel as 5,565 gross register tons. See: "British Sun (1127990)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Repton". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Dorothy". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Grafton (hms)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Gibson and Prendergast, p. 260.
- ^ Baumgartner and Sieche, as excerpted here (reprinted and translated into English by Sieche). Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Tengeralattjárók" (PDF) (in Hungarian). Imperial and Royal Navy Association. pp. 30–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Orione". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Friedrich Schlosser". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Eugen Hornyák Edler von Horn". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b Gibson and Prendergast, p. 389.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by KUK U43". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
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