View source for SM UB-46

{{other ships|German submarine U-46}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Ub-46-wreck-2.jpg|280px]]
|Ship caption=Wreckage of the ''UB-46''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country={{nowrap|[[German Empire]]}}
|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship name=''UB-46''
|Ship ordered=31 July 1915<ref name=UB-46>{{cite web
 |title=WWI U-boats: UB-46
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+46
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref>
|Ship builder=[[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]<ref name=UB-46 />
|Ship yard number=248<ref name=UB-46 />
|Ship laid down=4 September 1915<ref name=UB-46 />
|Ship launched=31 May 1916<ref name=UB-46 />
|Ship commissioned=12 June 1916<ref name=UB-46 />
|Ship fate=mined, 7 December 1916
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship= yes
|is_multi= yes
|label= Service record as ''UB-46''
|partof={{plainlist|
[[German Imperial Navy]]:
*[[Pola Flotilla]], June – October 1916
*[[Constantinople Flotilla]], October – December 1916
}}
|commanders=Cäsar Bauer<ref name=UB-46 />
|victories=4 ships ({{GRT|8,099}}) sunk<ref name=UB-46 />
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1985|p=50}}
|Ship class=[[German Type UB II submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|272|t|LT|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|305|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length={{convert|36.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|4.37|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|3.68|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*1 × [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]
*2 × [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler]] four-stroke 6-cylinder [[diesel engine]], {{convert|209|kW|bhp|abbr=on|order=flip|lk=in}}
*2 × [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[Motor-generator|electric motor]], {{convert|206|kW|shp|order=flip|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|8.82|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|6.22|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=*{{convert|6,940|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|5|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|45|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=22
|Ship armament=*2 × {{convert|50|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} bow torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes
*1 × 5 cm KL/40 (2.0 in) [[deck gun]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''SM ''UB-46''''' was a [[German Type UB II submarine|Type UB II]] [[submarine]] or [[U-boat]] for the [[German Imperial Navy]] ({{lang-de|link=no|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during [[World War I]]. ''UB-46'' operated in the [[Mediterranean]] and the [[Black Sea]]s, and was sunk by a [[mine (naval)|mine]] in December 1916.

''UB-46'' was ordered in July 1915 and was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[AG Weser]] shipyard in [[Bremen]] in September. ''UB-46'' was a little more than {{convert|121|ft|m}} in length and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] between {{convert|270|and|305|t|LT}}, depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She was equipped to carry a complement of four torpedoes for her two bow [[torpedo tube]]s and had an {{convert|5|cm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} [[deck gun]]. As part of a group of six submarines selected for Mediterranean service, ''UB-46'' was broken into railcar sized components and shipped to [[Pula|Pola]] where she was assembled and launched in May 1916, and [[commission (ship)|commissioned]] in June.

In early December 1916, during the submarine's fifth patrol, ''UB-46'' struck a mine in the Black Sea a short distance from the north entrance to the [[Bosphorus]] and sank with all hands. In her six-month career, ''UB-46'' sank four ships of {{GRT|8,099|disp=long}}.

== Design and construction ==
The [[German Type UB II submarine|German UB II]] design improved upon the design of the [[German Type UB I submarine|UB I boats]], which had been ordered in September 1914.<ref name=Con-174>Gardiner, p. 174.</ref> In service, the UB I boats were found to be too small and too slow. A major problem was that, because they had a single [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]/engine combo, if either component failed, the U-boat became almost totally disabled.<ref name=Miller-48>Miller, p. 48.</ref> To rectify this flaw, the UB II boats featured twin propeller shafts and twin engines (one shaft for each engine), which also increased the U-boat's top speed.<ref name=Will-13>Williamson, p. 13.</ref> The new design also included more powerful batteries,<ref name=Miller-48 /> larger torpedo tubes, and a [[deck gun]].<ref name=Tarrant-172>Tarrant, p. 172.</ref> As a UB II boat, ''U-47'' could also carry twice the torpedo load of her UB I counterparts, and nearly ten times as much fuel.<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> To contain all of these changes the [[submarine hull|hull]] was larger,<ref name=Miller-48 /> and the surface and submerged [[displacement (ship)|displacement]] was more than double that of the UB I boats.<ref name=Tarrant-172 />

The Imperial German Navy ordered ''UB-46'' from [[AG Weser]] on 31 July 1915 as one of a series of six UB II boats (numbered from {{SMU|UB-42||2}} to {{SMU|UB-47||2}}).<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> ''UB-46'' was {{convert|36.90|m|ftin}} long and {{convert|4.37|m|ftin}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]]. She had a [[submarine hull|single hull]] with [[Saddle tank (submarine)|saddle tank]]s and had a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|3.68|m|ftin}} when surfaced. She displaced {{convert|305|t|LT}} while submerged but only {{convert|272|t|LT}} on the surface.<ref name=Tarrant-172 />

The submarine was equipped with twin [[diesel engine]]s and twin [[electric motor]]s—for surfaced and submerged running, respectively. ''UB-46'' had a surface speed of up to {{convert|8.82|kn}} and could go as fast as {{convert|6.22|kn}} while underwater.<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> The U-boat could carry up to {{convert|27|t|LT}} of diesel fuel, giving her a range of 6,940 nautical miles at 5 knots<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> (12,850&nbsp;km at 9.3&nbsp;km/h). Her electric motors and batteries provided a range of 45 nautical miles at 4 knots<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> (83&nbsp;km at 7.4&nbsp;km/h) while submerged.

''UB-46'' was equipped with two {{convert|50|cm|in|1|sp=us|adj=on}} bow [[torpedo tube]]s and could carry four [[torpedo]]es. The U-boat was also armed with a 5&nbsp;cm KL/40 (2.0&nbsp;in) [[deck gun]].

''UB-46'' was laid down by AG Weser at its [[Bremen]] shipyard on 4 September 1915.<ref name=UB-46 /> As one of six U-boats selected for service in the Mediterranean while under construction, ''UB-46'' was broken into railcar-sized components and shipped overland to the Austro-Hungarian port of [[Pula|Pola]].<ref name=Hal-383>Halpern, p. 383.</ref><ref name=Miller-49>Miller, p. 49.</ref> Shipyard workers from Weser assembled the boat and her five sisters at Pola,<ref name=Hal-383 /> where she was launched on 17 June.<ref name=UB-46 />

== Service career ==
SM ''UB-46'' was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 12 June 1916 under the command of [[Oberleutnant zur See]] Cäsar Bauer.<ref name=UB-46 /><ref group=Note>The 27-year-old Bauer had been in the Navy's April 1904 cadet class with 20 other future U-boat captains, including [[Wilhelm Canaris]]. For Bauer information, see: {{cite web
 |title=WWI U-boat commanders: Cäsar Bauer
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/17.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}<br />For cadet crew information, see: {{cite web
 |title=WWI Officer Crews: Crew 4/04
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/crews.html?crew=4%2F04
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref> ''UB-46'', Bauer's third U-boat command,<ref name=Bauer>{{cite web
 |title=WWI U-boat commanders: Cäsar Bauer
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/17.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}} Bauer had previously been in command of {{SMU|UC-12||2}} and {{SMU|UC-14||2}}.</ref> was assigned to the Navy's [[Pola Flotilla]] ({{lang-de|link=no|Deutsche U-Halbflotille Pola}}).<ref name=UB-46 /> Although the flotilla was based in Pola, the site of the main [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] base, boats of the flotilla operated out of the Austro-Hungarian base at [[Cattaro]] which was located farther south and closer to the Mediterranean. German U-boats typically returned to Pola only for repairs.<ref name=Halp-384>Halpern, p. 384.</ref> After a month at the helm of ''UB-46'', Bauer was promoted to [[Kapitänleutnant]].<ref name=Bauer />

On 2 August, Bauer achieved his first success in command of ''UB-46'' when the Japanese steamer ''Kohina Maru'' was sunk off [[Alexandria]] just short of her destination of [[Port Said]].<ref name=kohina_m>{{cite web
 |title=Ships hit during WWI: Kohina Maru
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3366.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref> A week later the U-boat sank the Greek sailing vessel ''Basileios'' which was headed back to the [[Adriatic]] from [[Egypt]].<ref name=basile>{{cite web
 |title=Ships hit during WWI: Basileios
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/660.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}} Uboat.net reports that the vessel was also referred to under the name ''Vassilaos''.</ref> On 2 October, Bauer torpedoed ''Huntsfall'' which was carrying hay to [[Salonica]], and took the ship's [[captain (nautical)|master]] prisoner.<ref name=huntsf>{{cite web
 |title=Ships hit during WWI: Huntsfall
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/2929.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref> The {{GRT|4,331|disp=long|link=off}} British steamer was the largest ship sunk by ''UB-46''.<ref name=UB46-ships />

After Germany's conquest of [[Romania]] (see ''[[Romania during World War I]]''), the German Imperial Navy had sufficient [[fuel oil]] for submarines located in the [[Black Sea]]. ''UB-46'' and three of her sister ships in the Pola Flotilla were ordered to Constantinople and, en route, had to navigate through the [[Dardanelles]], which had been heavily [[Naval mine|mined]] by the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] in the middle of 1916.<ref>Halpern, pp. 248–49.</ref><ref group=Note>The other three boats were {{SMU|UB-42||2}}, {{SMU|UB-44||2}}, and {{SMU|UB-45||2}}.</ref> ''UB-46'' joined the [[Constantinople Flotilla]] ({{lang-de|link=no|U-boote der Mittelmeerdivision in Konstantinopal}}) on 7 October.<ref name=UB-46 />

[[File:Site of ub-46 sinking.gif|left|thumb|200px|Location map of the sinking of UB-46]]
The German submarines in the Black Sea accomplished little, sinking only six ships between August and the end of the year.<ref>Halpern, p. 249.</ref> ''UB-46'' sank one of the six ships when she sent down the 116-ton Russian ship ''Melanie'' north of [[Cape Tarkhan]] on 7 November.<ref name=melanie>{{cite web
 |title=Ships hit during WWI: Melanie
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/4065.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref> ''Melanie'' was the last ship sunk by ''UB-46''.<ref name=UB46-ships /> By early December, ''UB-46'' was based out of [[Varna]], Bulgaria.<ref name=Mess-167>Messimer, p. 167.</ref>

== Fate ==
On 7 December 1916, the stern of ''UB-46'' struck a Russian mine {{convert|300|m|ft}} off the shore of the Turkish village of Akpınar, approximately {{convert|30|km|mi}} north-west of the entrance to the [[Bosphorus]].<ref name="Museum">"German UB-46 Submarine". Dardanelles Naval Museum, Çanakkale</ref> The vessel's entire complement (reported by Helgason as 20) perished in the sinking.<ref name=UB-46 /><ref name=Mess-167 />

A {{convert|16|m|ft}} portion of the wreck comprising the forward section of the torpedo room and battery compartment was located in 1993 during coal extraction operations and was salvaged by the Turkish navy; the remainder of the vessel could not be located.<ref name="Museum" /> It was put on display in an outdoor exhibit at the Turkish Naval Museum in [[Istanbul]].<ref>{{cite web
 | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur |title=The Galleries: UB 46 in Turkey
 |url=http://uboat.net/gallery/index.html?gallery=ub46 | publisher = Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref> The wreckage was transferred to the Dardanelles Naval Museum at [[Çanakkale]] in 2008, where the remains of the vessel are currently on display.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.denizhaber.com.tr/dkk-sgk/14475/92-yillik-alman-denizaltisi-sergileniyor.html
 |title=92 yıllık Alman denizaltısı sergileniyor|work=Deniz Haber|language=Turkish|date=18 July 2008}}</ref>

== Ships sunk ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|+Ships sunk by SM ''UB-46''<ref name=UB46-ships>{{cite web
 |title=Ships hit during WWI: Ships hit by UB 46
 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/successes/ub46.html
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German and Austrian U-Boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net
 |accessdate=12 February 2009
}}</ref>
! Date
! Name
! Nationality
! Tonnage<ref group=Note name=tonnage>Tonnages are in [[gross register tons]]</ref>
! Fate
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|August|2|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1916#2 August|''Kohina Maru'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Japan}}
|align="right"|3,164
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|August|9|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1916#9 August|''Basileios'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Greece|old}}
|align="right"|488
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|October|2|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in October 1916#2 October|''Huntsfall'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,331
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|November|7|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1916#7 November|''Melanie'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Russian Empire}}
|align="right"|116
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|
|
|align="right"|'''Total:'''
|align="right"|'''8,099'''
|
|}

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

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== 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| ref = harv}}
*{{Cite book|last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher|work=Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe, 1815-1945|volume=III|year=1985|location=[[Koblenz]]|publisher=[[Bernard & Graefe]]|isbn=3-7637-4802-4|language=German|ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book|last=Rössler|first=Eberhard|title=U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 – 1945|work=Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften|volume=I|year=1979|location=[[Munich]]|publisher=[[Bernard & Graefe]]|isbn=3-7637-5213-7|language=German|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Robert, ed. |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | publisher = [[Naval Institute Press]] | year = 1985 | isbn = 978-0-87021-907-8 | oclc = 12119866 }}
* {{cite book | last = Gibson | first = R. H. | coauthors = Maurice Prendergast <!-- not the American painter --> |title=The German Submarine War, 1914–1918 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2003 | origyear = 1931 | isbn = 978-1-59114-314-7 | oclc = 52924732 }}
* {{cite book | last = Halpern | first = Paul G. |title=A Naval History of World War I | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-87021-266-6 | oclc = 28411665 }}
* {{cite book | last = Messimer | first = Dwight R. |title=Verschollen: World War I U-boat losses | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-55750-475-3 | oclc = 231973419 }}
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = David |title=The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World | location = [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] | publisher = MBI Pub. Co | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7603-1345-9 | oclc = 50208951 }}
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = David |title=The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World | location = [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] | publisher = MBI Pub. Co | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7603-1345-9 | oclc = 50208951 }}
* {{cite book | last = Tarrant | first = V. E. |title=The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-0-87021-764-7 | oclc = 20338385 }}
* {{cite book | last = Williamson | first = Gordon |title=U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy | location = [[Oxford]] | publisher = Osprey | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-84176-362-0 | oclc = 48627495 }}
{{Refend}}

{{German Type UB II submarines}}

{{Good article}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ub046}}
[[Category:German Type UB II submarines]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1916]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1916]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by mines]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Ships preserved in museums]]
[[Category:1916 ships]]
[[Category:Ships lost with all hands]]