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| UB-110 (WWI) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | SM UB-110 |
| Ship class | Type UB III submarine |
| Ship displacement | 519 t surfaced, 649 t submerged |
| Ship length | 55.3 m |
| Ship beam | 5.8 m |
| Ship propulsion | Diesel engines and electric motors |
| Ship speed | 13.6 kn surfaced, 7.8 kn submerged |
| Ship range | 7,420 nmi at 6 kn surfaced |
| Ship test depth | 50 m |
| Ship crew | 34 (3 officers, 31 men) |
| Ship armament | 10 torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK L/30 deck gun |
| Ship built | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Ship launched | 1917 |
| Ship lost | 19 July 1918, sunk by British destroyer HMS Garry; controversy over treatment of survivors |
UB-110 (WWI) was a German Imperial Navy Type UB III U-boat that served during World War I. Commissioned in 1917 and operating in the North Sea and English Channel, UB-110 torpedoed merchant shipping and clashed with Royal Navy anti-submarine forces before being sunk in July 1918. The circumstances of her sinking and the reported treatment of her crew provoked wartime and postwar debate involving figures from Imperial Germany, United Kingdom, and naval historians.
The Type UB III design was a coastal attack U-boat development succeeding the UB II class, integrating lessons from operations against Allied blockade efforts and convoy tactics used by Royal Navy escorts. UB-110 displaced 519 tonnes surfaced and 649 tonnes submerged, with an overall length of 55.3 metres and a beam of 5.8 metres, dimensions shared with sister boats such as UB-88 and UB-115. Propulsion combined twin six-cylinder diesel engines for surfaced cruising and electric motors for submerged manoeuvres, enabling speeds up to 13.6 knots on the surface and 7.8 knots submerged—comparable to contemporaries like the Type UC II minelayer and larger Type U 93. Armament comprised ten torpedoes launched from bow and stern tubes and a single 8.8 cm SK L/30 deck gun, intended for commerce raiding against Allied shipping including vessels of the Merchant Navy and neutral states. Crew complement was typically three officers and 31 enlisted men, aligning with manpower patterns of Kaiserliche Marine submarine flotillas engaged in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
UB-110 was ordered under wartime construction programs pursued by yards such as AG Weser in Bremen during the naval expansion overseen by the Kaiserliche Marine. Keel-laying, launching, and commissioning occurred in 1917 amid intensifying submarine campaigns spearheaded by commanders in the U-boat Arm. The boat’s construction reflected industrial capacities mobilised across German shipyards, logistical coordination with suppliers of diesel engines and batteries used in electric propulsion, and fitting out with torpedo tubes compatible with G7 and other contemporary torpedo types employed by Kapitänleutnant commanders.
Upon commissioning, UB-110 joined operational patrols in the North Atlantic approaches, operating from bases that supported the U-boat flotillas confronting British Isles sea lines of communication. During 1917–1918 she engaged in commerce raiding against shipping to ports such as Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool, participating in the broader unrestricted submarine campaign that intersected with diplomatic incidents involving the United States and influenced naval policy in Admiralty circles. Encounters with Q-ship decoys, depth charge attacks from destroyers, and convoy escort tactics typified the hazards faced by UB-110. The boat’s log and patrol reports, like those of contemporaries UB-104 and UB-105, document torpedo firings and evasive manoeuvres before her final patrol.
On 19 July 1918 UB-110 was located and attacked by British destroyers including HMS Garry and HMS Lysander following reports from coastal patrols and sound detection. After sustained depth charging and ramming, UB-110 surfaced and was captured; most accounts state she was scuttled or sank. Controversy arose from allegations that surviving crew members were fired upon or otherwise mistreated after capture, leading to accusations that paralleled earlier incidents such as the Baralong incident and becoming the subject of wartime propaganda by both Kaiserliche Marine and Admiralty. Senior figures in Royal Navy command, Members of Parliament, and German naval authorities debated the events; the episode was cited in postwar inquiries and in memoirs of commanders like Otto Weddigen-era colleagues. The contested narratives influenced interwar naval discourse and were referenced during discussions at the Paris Peace Conference by delegations addressing naval conduct.
The wreck of UB-110 was identified decades after the war, drawing interest from maritime archaeologists, divers, and salvage companies operating in the North Sea and Atlantic approaches. Investigations employed sonar surveys and remotely operated vehicles similar to methods used for locating other First World War wrecks such as UB-65 and HMS Hampshire. Legal claims concerning war graves, salvage rights, and artifact recovery invoked conventions that would later be reflected in treaties and heritage frameworks discussed by institutions like UNESCO and maritime museums in Germany and the United Kingdom. Recovered items—when permitted—have been displayed in naval collections, contributing to public history narratives about submarine warfare and seafaring losses in the 1914–1918 conflict.
UB-110’s story has been integrated into scholarship on the U-boat campaign, commemorations at naval memorials such as the U-Boot-Ehrenmal Möltenort and the Cenotaph-era memorials in British ports, and in works by historians of naval warfare and maritime heritage institutions. Debates over the sinking influenced later codes of conduct in naval engagements and informed cultural representations in books, exhibitions, and documentaries addressing figures like Admiral Reinhard Scheer, First Sea Lord figures, and U-boat commanders chronicled in naval archives. The case of UB-110 remains a focal point for researchers examining the ethics of anti-submarine warfare, the legal treatment of prisoners, and the human cost of the submarine campaign during World War I.
Category:German Type UB III submarines Category:U-boats commissioned in 1917 Category:Maritime incidents in 1918