View source for SM UB-55

{{Short description|German Type UB III submarine, operated during World War I}}
{{Other ships|German submarine U-55}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=UB 148 at sea 2.jpeg
|Ship caption=''UB-148'' at sea, a U-boat similar to ''UB-55''.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship name=''UB-55''
|Ship ordered=20 May 1916{{sfn|Rössler|1979|p=55}}
|Ship builder=[[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
|Ship original cost=3,276,000 [[German Papiermark]]
|Ship yard number=267
|Ship laid down=5 September 1916<ref name=uboatnet>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=UB 55
|id=UB+55
|type=1sub
|access-date= 26 July 2014
}}</ref>
|Ship launched=9 May 1917{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=1 July 1917{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}
|Ship fate=Sunk 22 April 1918 at {{coord|50|59|N|01|20|E|display=title, inline}} by mines, 30 dead{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}
|Ship class=[[Type UB III submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|516|t|LT|lk=on|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|646|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length= {{convert|55.85|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|5.80|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|3.72|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]
*2 × [[Körting Hannover|Körting]] four-stroke 6-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s, {{convert|780|kW|bhp|abbr=on|order=flip|lk=in}}
*2 × [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[Motor-generator|electric motor]]s, {{convert|580|kW|shp|order=flip|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|13.4|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|7.8|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=*{{convert|9,020|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|6|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|55|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth={{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=3 officers, 31 men{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}
|Ship armament=*5 × {{convert|50|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (4 bow, 1 stern)
*10 [[torpedo]]es
*1 × [[8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} deck gun]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|is_multi=yes
|partof=*Flandern Flotilla
*30 August 1917 – 22 April 1918
|commanders=*''Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt.'' Ralph Wenninger
*1 July 1917 – 22 April 1918
|operations=7 patrols
|victories=*20 merchant ships sunk <br>({{GRT|26,485}})
*1 auxiliary warship sunk <br>({{GRT|113}})
*2 merchant ships damaged <br>({{GRT|12,809}})
}}
|}
'''SM ''UB-55''''' was a German [[Type UB III submarine]] or [[U-boat]] in the [[German Imperial Navy]] ({{langx|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during [[World War I]]. She was [[commission (ship)|commission]]ed into the [[Flanders U-boat flotillas|Flanders Flotilla]] of the German Imperial Navy on 1 July 1917 as SM ''UB-55''.{{#tag:ref|"SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" ({{langx|en|His Majesty's}}) and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''.|group=Note}}

She operated as part of the [[Flanders U-boat flotillas|Flanders Flotilla]] based in [[Zeebrugge]]. ''UB-55'' was sunk at 05:05 on 22 April 1918 at {{coord|51|01|N|01|20|E|display=inline}} after striking a mine, 30 crew members lost their lives in the event.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=25-30}}

==Construction==
{{Main|Type UB III submarine}}
She was built by [[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]] and following just under a year of construction, [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] at Bremen on 9 May 1917. ''UB-55'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] later that same year under the command of ''Kptlt.'' Ralph Wenninger. Like all Type UB III submarines, ''UB-55'' carried 10 [[torpedo]]es and was armed with a [[8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} deck gun]]. ''UB-55'' would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of {{convert|9,020|nmi|lk=in}}. ''UB-55'' had a displacement of {{convert|516|t|LT|lk=in|abbr=on}} while surfaced and {{convert|646|t|0|abbr=on}} when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at {{convert|13.4|kn|lk=in}} when surfaced and {{convert|7.8|kn}} when submerged.

==Summary of raiding history==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="140px"|Date
! width="140px"|Name
! width="160px"|Nationality
! width="25px" |Tonnage<ref group=Note name=tonnage>Tonnages are in [[gross register tons]]</ref>
! width="120px"|Fate<ref>{{cite Uboat.net
|id=ub55
|name=UB-55
|type=1boat
|accessdate=5 December 2014
}}</ref>
|-
|align="right"|5 November 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1917#5 November|''Clan Cumming'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,808
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|7 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#7 December|''Proba'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|105
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|8 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#8 December|''Corinto'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|999
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|11 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#11 December|''Argus'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal}}
|align="right"|100
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|11 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#11 December|''Ligeiro'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal}}
|align="right"|25
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|11 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#11 December|''A Portuguesa'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal}}
|align="right"|107
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|11 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#11 December|''Vigneira'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Portugal}}
|align="right"|25
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|16 December 1917
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#16 December|''Foylemore'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|3,831
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|25 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#25 January|''Eastlands'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|3,113
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|26 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#26 January|''Manhattan'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|8,001
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|29 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#29 January|''Addax'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|40
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|29 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#29 January|''General Leman'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|57
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|29 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#29 January|''Ibex'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|42
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|29 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#29 January|''Perriton'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|90
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|29 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#29 January|''Perseverance'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|51
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|30 January 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1918#30 January|HMS ''Wellholme'']]
|align="left" |{{navy|United Kingdom}}
|align="right"|113
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|14 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#14 March|''A. A. Raven'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|2,459
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|21 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#21 March|''Begonia'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|3,070
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#23 March|''Chattahoochee'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|8,007
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#23 March|''Madame Midas'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|1,203
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#23 March|''Mar Baltico'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Spain}}
|align="right"|2,023
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#23 March|''Venborg'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|1,065
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|24 March 1918
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in March 1918#24 March|''Fileur'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|France}}
|align="right"|73
|align="left" |Sunk
|}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book| last = Bendert| first = Harald |title=Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal | location = [[Hamburg]] | publisher = [[Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH]]| year = 2000 | isbn = 3-8132-0713-7 | language = German}}
*{{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|series=German Warships 1815–1945
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}
*{{cite book |last1=Rössler |first1=Eberhard |title=Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden |date=1979 |publisher=[[Bernard & Graefe]] |location=[[Munich]] |volume=I|isbn=3-7637-5213-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIvfAAAAMAAJ |language=de}}
{{Refend}}

{{German Type UB III submarines}}
{{April 1918 shipwrecks}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ub055}}
[[Category:German Type UB III submarines]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1917]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1918]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1918]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by mines]]
[[Category:1917 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]