German Type UB II submarine

The UB II type submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the German Imperial Navy. They were enlarged from the preceding type UB I and were more effective vessels. The boats were a single hull design with a 50 metre maximum diving depth and a 30-45 second diving time. In 1915 and 1916, 30 were built at two different shipyards.

The design of type UB II addressed many of the problems apparent in the preceding type UB I class. The UB II boats featured a two-shaft drive with a much larger battery capacity and larger engines. Storage batteries were placed forward of the central diving tanks to compensate for the much heavier engine installation.

The armament of the type UB II consisted of 50 cm G torpedoes launched from two bow tubes. The torpedo tubes were installed one above the other to allow for a bow design that would create optimal surface efficiency. A 5 cm gun was provided on the deck for surface use.

The weight of the boat was increased to 270 tons of surface displacement to accommodate these improvements. Saddle tanks were fitted to the sides of the pressure hull to allow greater fuel storage area.

List of Type UB II submarines
There were 30 Type UB II submarines commissioned into the German Imperial Navy.


 * SMU UB-18 - Mined December 1917
 * SMU UB-19 - Sunk by Q ship Penshurst November 1916
 * SMU UB-20 - Sunk By aircraft July 1917
 * SMU UB-21 - Foundered on way to breakers 1920
 * SMU UB-22 - Mined January 1918
 * SMU UB-23 - Broken up 1921
 * SMU UB-24 - BU 1921
 * SMU UB-25 - BU 1922
 * SMU UB-26 - Sunk and raised by French Navy repaired as Roland Morillot BU 1931
 * SMU UB-27 - Sunk by HMS Halcyon (1894) July 1917
 * SMU UB-28 - BU 1919
 * SMU UB-29 - Sunk by HMS Landrail (1914) December 1916
 * SMU UB-30 - Sunk by HM trawler John Gillman August 1918
 * SMU UB-31 - Sunk by ASW drifter May 1918
 * SMU UB-32 - Sunk by aircraft September 1917
 * SMU UB-33 - Mined April 1918
 * SMU UB-34 - BU 1922
 * SMU UB-35 - Sunk by HMS Leven (1898) January 1918
 * SMU UB-36 - Rammed and sunk by SS Molière May 1917
 * SMU UB-37 - Sunk by Q ship Penshurst January 1917
 * SMU UB-38 - Mined February 1918
 * SMU UB-39 - Sunk by Q ship May 1917
 * SMU UB-40 - Scuttled October 1918
 * SMU UB-41 - BU 1920
 * SMU UB-42 - BU 1919
 * SMU UB-43 - BU 1919
 * SMU UB-44 - Sunk by British surface ships August 1916
 * SMU UB-45 - Mined 1916
 * SMU UB-46 - Mined 1916
 * SMU UB-47 - BU 1919