SM UB-4

{{Short description|Type UB I submarine of the German Imperial Navy}} {{other ships|German submarine U-4}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image | image = German Type UB I submarine.jpg | image_caption = ''UB-4'' sometime in 1915 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career | country = [[German Empire]] | flag = {{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}} | name = ''UB-4'' | ordered = 15 November 1914<ref name=UB-4>{{cite Uboat.net |name=UB 4 |id=UB+4 |type=1sub |access-date= 19 February 2009 }}</ref> | builder = [[Germaniawerft]], [[Kiel]]<ref name=Tarrant-172>Tarrant, p. 172.</ref> | yard_number = 242<ref name=UB-4 /> | laid_down = 3 November 1914<ref name=UB-4 /> | launched = March 1915<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=6104975|shipname=UB-4|access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> | commissioned = 23 March 1915<ref name=UB-4 /> | decommissioned = | struck = | fate = Sunk, 15 August 1915<ref name=Mess-129 /> | notes = }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics | header_caption = <ref>Gröner, pp. 22-23.</ref> | class = [[Type UB I submarine]] | displacement = *{{convert|127|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced *{{convert|142|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged | length = {{convert|28.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]]) | beam = {{convert|3.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | draught = {{convert|3.03|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | propulsion = *1 × [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]] *1 × [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler]] 4-cylinder [[diesel engine]], {{convert|44|kW|bhp|order=flip|lk=in|abbr=on}} *1 × [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[electric motor]], {{convert|89|kW|shp|order=flip|lk=in|abbr=on}} | speed = *{{convert|6.47|kn|lk=in}} surfaced *{{convert|5.51|kn}} submerged | range = *{{convert|1,650|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn}} surfaced *{{convert|45|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} | test_depth = {{convert|50|m|ft}} | complement = 14 | armament = *2 × {{convert|45|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} bow [[torpedo tube]]s *2 × torpedoes *1 × {{convert|8|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[machine gun]] | notes = 33-second diving time }}

|section4={{Infobox ship/service record |partof= * [[Flanders U-boat flotilla|Flanders Flotilla]] * 12 April – 15 August 1915 |codes= |commanders=*''Oblt.'' Karl Gross<ref name=UB-4 /><ref group=Note name=Grossnote>Karl Gross' name is also spelled as ''Karl Groß'' in some sources.</ref> * 23 March – 15 August 1915 |operations=14 patrols<ref name=UB-4 /> |victories=*4 merchant ships sunk <br />({{GRT|10,942}})<ref name=UB-4 /> }} }}

'''Seiner Majestät<ref>German: "His Majesty's"</ref> ''UB-4''''' was a German [[Type UB I submarine|Type UB I]] [[submarine]] ([[U-boat]]) in the [[German Imperial Navy]] ({{langx|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during World War I. She was sunk by a British [[Q-ship]] disguised as a [[smack (ship)|fishing smack]] in August 1915.

''UB-4'' was ordered in October 1914 and was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[Germaniawerft]] shipyard in [[Kiel]] in November. ''UB-4'' was a little more than {{convert|28|m}} in length and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] between {{convert|127|and|142|t|LT}}, depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two [[torpedo]]es for her two bow [[torpedo tube]]s and was also armed with a deck-mounted [[machine gun]]. ''UB-4'' was broken into sections and shipped by rail to [[Antwerp]] for reassembly. She was [[launch (ship)|launch]]ed and [[Ship commissioning|commission]]ed as SM ''UB-4'' in March 1915.<ref group=Note>"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''.</ref>

''UB-4'' conducted the first sortie of the [[Flanders Flotilla]] in April, during which she sank the Belgian Relief ship {{SS|Harpalyce||2}}, the first ship credited to the flotilla. She sank three more ships from mid-April to mid-August. On 15 August, ''UB-4'' surfaced near the British Q-ship {{ship|HM Armed Smack|Inverlyon||2}} and was sunk by gunfire from the sailing vessel. None of ''UB-4''{{'}}s 14 crewmen survived the attack.

== Design and construction == After the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]]'s rapid advance along the North Sea coast in the earliest stages of World War I, the [[German Imperial Navy]] found itself without suitable submarines that could be operated in the narrow and shallow environment off [[Flanders]].<ref name=Miller-46>Miller, pp. 46–47.</ref><ref name=Karau-48>Karau, p. 48.</ref> Project 34, a design effort begun in mid-August 1914,<ref name=Karau-48 /> produced the [[Type UB I submarine|Type UB I]] design: a small submarine that could be shipped by rail to a port of operations and quickly assembled. Constrained by railroad size limitations, the UB I design called for a boat about {{convert|28|m|ft}} long and displacing about {{convert|125|t|LT}} with two [[torpedo tube]]s.<ref name=Miller-46 /><ref group=Note>A further refinement of the design—replacing the torpedo tubes with [[mine (naval)|mine]] chutes but changing little else—evolved into the [[German Type UC I submarine|Type UC I]] coastal [[minelayer|minelaying]] submarine. See: Miller, p. 458.</ref> ''UB-4'' was part of the initial allotment of eight submarines—numbered {{SMU|UB-1||2}} to {{SMU|UB-8||2}}—ordered on 15 October from [[Germaniawerft]] of [[Kiel]], just shy of two months after planning for the class began.<ref name=Miller-46 /><ref name=Williamson>Williamson, p. 12.</ref>

''UB-4'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] by Germaniawerft in Kiel on 3 November.<ref name=UB-4 /> As built, ''UB-4'' was {{convert|28.10|m|ftin}} long, {{convert|3.15|m|ftin}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]], and had a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|3.03|m|ft|0}}. She had a single {{convert|44|kW|bhp|order=flip|adj=on}} [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler]] 4-cylinder [[diesel engine]] for surface travel, and a single {{convert|89|kW|shp|order=flip|adj=on}} [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[electric motor]] for underwater travel, both attached to a single [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]. Her top speeds were {{convert|6.47|kn}}, surfaced, and {{convert|5.51|kn}}, submerged.<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> At more moderate speeds, she could sail up to {{convert|1,650|nmi|lk=in}} on the surface before refueling, and up to {{convert|45|nmi}} submerged before recharging her batteries. Like all boats of the class, ''UB-4'' was rated to a diving depth of {{convert|50|m|ft}}, and could completely submerge in 33 seconds.

''UB-4'' was armed with two {{convert|45|cm|in|1|sp=us|adj=on}} [[torpedo]]es in two bow [[torpedo tube]]s. She was also outfitted for a single {{convert|8|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} [[machine gun]] on deck. ''UB-4''{{'}}s standard complement consisted of one officer and thirteen enlisted men.<ref name=Karau-49>Karau, p. 49.</ref>

After work on ''UB-4'' was complete at the Germaniwerft yard, ''UB-4'' was readied for rail shipment. The process of shipping a UB I boat involved breaking the submarine down into what was essentially a [[complete knock down|knock down kit]]. Each boat was broken into approximately fifteen pieces and loaded onto eight railway [[flatcar]]s.<ref name=Karau-49 /> In early 1915, the sections of ''UB-4'' were shipped to [[Antwerp]] for assembly in what was typically a two- to three-week process. After ''UB-4'' was assembled and [[launch (ship)|launch]]ed sometime in March,<ref name=Miramar /> she was loaded on a barge and taken through canals to [[Bruges]] where she underwent trials.<ref name=Karau-49 />

== Service career == The submarine was [[Ship commissioning|commission]]ed into the German Imperial Navy as SM ''UB-4'' on 23 March under the command of [[Oberleutnant zur See]] Karl Gross,<ref name=UB-4 /><ref group=Note name=Grossnote /> a 29-year-old first-time U-boat commander.<ref name=Gross>{{cite Uboat.net |name=Karl Groß |id=99 |type=1comm |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref><ref group="Note">Gross was in the Navy's April 1905 cadet class with 36 other future U-boat captains, including [[Hermann von Fischel]], [[Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg]], [[Kurt Hartwig]], and [[Hans von Mellenthin]]. See: {{cite Uboat.net|name=Crew 4/05|id=4%2F05|type=1crew|access-date=5 March 2009}}</ref> ''UB-4'' soon joined the other UB I boats then comprising the [[Flanders U-boat flotilla|Flanders Flotilla]] ({{langx|de|U-boote des Marinekorps U-Flotille Flandern}}), which had been organized on 29 March.<ref name=Karau-49 /> When ''UB-4'' joined the flotilla, Germany was in the midst of its first submarine offensive, begun in February. During this campaign, enemy vessels in the German-defined war zone ({{langx|de|Kriegsgebiet}}), which encompassed all waters around the United Kingdom (including the [[English Channel]]), were to be sunk. Vessels of neutral countries were not to be attacked unless they definitively could be identified as enemy vessels operating under a [[false flag]].<ref name=Tarrant-14>Tarrant, p. 14.</ref>

''UB-4'' kicked off operations for the new flotilla when she departed on her first patrol on 9 April. The following day, she sank the first ship credited to the Flanders Flotilla. The 5,940 GRT British-flagged {{SS|Harpalyce||2}}, which had been [[charter (ship)|charter]]ed by the [[American Commission for Relief in Belgium]], was headed for [[Norfolk, Virginia]], United States, in [[ballast (ship)|ballast]] after delivering relief supplies to [[Rotterdam]].<ref name=harpa>{{cite Uboat.net |name=Harpalyce |id=2725 |type=1ship |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> ''UB-4'' came upon the steamer between [[Harwich]] and the [[Hook of Holland]] and pulled to within about {{convert|100|yards|m}}.<ref name=gunner>{{cite journal | last = Perkins | first = Hugh |title=The gunner and the U-boat | journal = Sea Classics |date=September 2008 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200809/ai_n28081405?tag=content;col1 | location = [[Canoga Park, California]] | publisher = Challenge Publications | oclc = 60621086 |access-date=5 March 2009 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name=NYT-harpa>{{cite news |title=Relief flag flying as Harpalyce sunk |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/04/12/100148803.pdf | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 12 April 1915 |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> Despite the fact that the ship had a pass of [[safe-conduct]] from Germany, was marked with the words "Belgian Relief" on her side, and was flying a [[white flag]] with the same wording, Gross torpedoed the vessel without warning.<ref name=gunner /> ''Harpalyce'' sank in about five minutes, which allowed no time to launch any of the [[lifeboat (ship)|lifeboat]]s. The Dutch steamers ''Elisabeth'' and ''Constance'', and the American steamer ''Ruby'' picked up survivors. [[Herbert Hoover]], head of the relief committee, reported that his organization's charter of the ship ended after delivery of the cargo in Rotterdam, but expressed disbelief that the ship could have been the victim of a torpedo attack, given the "distinct assurance" that ships engaged in the relief effort "would not be molested".<ref name=NYT-harpa /> ''Harpalyce''{{'}}s [[captain (nautical)|master]] and 14 others from the 44-man crew died in the attack.<ref name=gunner /> ''Harpalyce'' was the largest ship sunk by ''UB-4'' during her career.<ref name=UB4-ships />

''UB-4''{{'}}s followed up the sinking of ''Harpalyce'' by sinking the Greek ship ''Ellispontos'', a steamer of {{GRT|2,989|disp=long}}. ''Ellispontos'' was en route to [[Montevideo]] from [[Amsterdam]] when sunk by Gross and ''UB-4'' on 17 April.<ref name=ellis>{{cite Uboat.net |name=Ellispontos |id=1907 |type=1ship |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> Although German U-boats sank over 100,000 tons of shipping in each of May and June,<ref name=Tarrant-18>Tarrant, p. 18.</ref><ref name=Tarrant-21>Tarrant, p. 21.</ref> ''UB-4'' did not contribute to those totals.<ref name=UB4-ships /> She did add one ship to the 98,000-ton tally for July when she sank the Belgian ship ''Princesse Marie Jose'' and her load of coal on 29 July.<ref name=Tarrant-21 /><ref name=princess>{{cite Uboat.net |name=Princesse Marie Jose |id=427 |type=1ship |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> The 1,954 GRT steamer had sailed from [[Dunston, Tyne and Wear|Dunston]] and was headed to [[Bordeaux]] when sunk {{convert|1.5|nmi}} from the Shipwash Lightship off [[Harwich]].<ref name=princess />

=== Sinking === {{Infobox military conflict |conflict=Action of 15 August 1915 |partof= [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)|U-boat Campaign of World War I]] |image= |caption= |date=August 15, 1915 |place=Off the coast of [[Great Yarmouth]], England |coordinates={{coord|52|42|N|2|18|E|scale:5000000}} |result=British victory |combatant1={{navy|German Empire}} |combatant2={{navy|United Kingdom}} |commander1=[[Karl Gross (German commander)|Karl Gross]]{{KIA}} |commander2=Ernest Martin Jehan |strength1= UB-4, 14 crewmembers |strength2= [[HM Armed Smack Inverlyon|Inverlyon]], unknown number of crew |casualties1=14 KIA, UB-4 sunk |casualties2=none }} {{Campaignbox North Sea 1914-1918}} On 14 August, the 59 GRT British [[smack (ship)|fishing smack]] ''Bona Fide'' was stopped by a U-boat, boarded, and sunk with explosives {{convert|35|nmi}} [[east-northeast]] of [[Lowestoft]].<ref name=FVWWI>{{cite web | last = | first = |title=British fishing vessels lost at sea due to enemy action: 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrFV1914-16.htm | work = World War 1 at Sea | publisher = Naval-History.net | date = 9 January 2009 |access-date=5 March 2009 }} The information on the website is extracted from {{cite book |title=British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918 | publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]] | year = 1919 }}</ref> According to the website Uboat.net, this attack was likely by ''UB-4'', because she was operating in the area on her fourteenth patrol.<ref name=bona>{{cite Uboat.net |name=Bona Fide |id=853 |type=1ship |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> Regardless of the identity of ''Bona Fide''{{'}}s attacker, ''UB-4'' did approach a group of smacks in the vicinity the next day, but unbeknownst to ''UB-4''{{'}}s commander, Gross, one of the fishing vessels was actually a British decoy ship.<ref name=gunner /><ref group=Note>Perkins reports the date of the encounter as Sunday, 16 August 1915, but 16 August 1915 was actually a Monday. Messimer (p. 129), Gibson and Prendergast (pp. 50–51), and Uboat.net ({{cite Uboat.net |name=UB 4 |id=UB+4 |type=1sub |access-date= 19 February 2009 }}) all report the date of the encounter as 15 August 1915.</ref>

The decoy or [[Q-ship]] was His Majesty's Armed Smack {{ship|HM Armed Smack|Inverlyon||2}}, a smack that had been outfitted with a concealed [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss|3-pounder]] (47 mm) gun. Around 20:20, ''UB-4'' drew within {{convert|30|yards|m}} of ''Inverlyon'' and Gross, on the [[conning tower]] of ''UB-4'', shouted out commands to ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew in German. After waiting until the right moment, Ernest Jehan, a [[Royal Navy]] gunner in command of ''Inverlyon'', ordered the [[White Ensign]] raised and gave the command to open fire. A burst of three rounds from the 3-pounder scored hits on the conning tower, the second destroying part of the bridge and sending Gross into the water. ''UB-4'', with no one at the helm, drifted behind ''Inverlyon'', and when clear, the 3-pounder fired another six shots into the hull of ''UB-4'' at [[point blank]] range. All the while small arms fire from ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew peppered the submarine. The U-boat began going down by the bow, becoming nearly vertical before disappearing below the surface. A member of ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew attempted the rescue of one crewman from ''UB-4'', but was unable to reach him before he went under, meeting the same fate as the other thirteen crewmen.<ref name=gunner />

As ''UB-4'' went down, her hulk fouled the ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s nets—which had been deployed to keep up the appearance of a real fishing boat—essentially anchoring ''Inverlyon'' in place. The Q-ship's crew, not having a [[radio|wireless set]] on board, sent word of the encounter with another smack, and followed up by releasing [[messenger pigeon]]s the following morning, requesting instructions on what to do with ''UB-4''. The thought of salvaging the snagged U-boat was rejected, so the nets were cut, freeing ''UB-4'' to sink to the bottom.<ref name=gunner /> ''UB-4''{{'}}s wreck lies at position {{coord|52|43|N|2|18|E|display=inline,title}}.<ref name=Mess-129>Messimer, p. 129</ref> Jehan was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for the sinking of ''UB-4'', and the crewmen of ''Inverlyon'' split the submarine bounty paid by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]].<ref name=gunner /><ref group=Note>There is no mention of the amount of the bounty for sinking ''UB-4'', but the Admiralty bounties were typically £5 per crewman on the submarine, or £70 in the case of ''UB-4''. See: Messimer, pp. 158, 170, 222, for examples of the £5 per capita bounty.</ref>

== Summary of raiding history == {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Ships sunk or damaged by SM ''UB-4''<ref name=UB4-ships>{{cite Uboat.net |name=UB 4 |id=ub4 |type=1boat |access-date=5 March 2009 }}</ref> ! Date ! Name ! Nationality ! Tonnage<ref group=Note name=tonnage>Tonnages are in [[gross register tons]]</ref> ! Fate |- |align="right"|10 April 1915 |align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in April 1915#10 April|''Harpalyce'']] |align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}} |align="right"|5,940 |align="left" |Sunk |- |align="right"|17 April 1915 |align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in April 1915#17 April|''Ellispontos'']] |align="left" |{{flag|Greece|old}} |align="right"|2,989 |align="left" |Sunk |- |align="right"|29 July 1915 |align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in July 1915#29 July|''Princesse Marie Jose'']] |align="left" |{{flag|Belgium}} |align="right"|1,954 |align="left" |Sunk |- |align="right"|14 August 1915 |align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#14 August|''Bona Fide'']] |align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}} |align="right"|59 |align="left" |Sunk |- | | |align="right"|'''Total:''' |align="right"|'''10,942''' | |}

== 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 }} *{{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 | editor1-last=Gardiner | editor1-first=Robert | editor2-last=Gray | editor2-first=Randal |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 }} * {{Gibson}} * {{cite book | last = Karau | first = Mark D. |title=Wielding the Dagger: the MarineKorps Flandern and the German War Effort, 1914–1918 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | publisher = [[Praeger Publishing|Praeger]] | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-0-313-32475-8 | oclc = 51204317 }} * {{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 = 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|authorlink=Gordon Williamson (writer)|title=U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy | location = [[Oxford]] | publisher = Osprey | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-84176-362-0 | oclc = 48627495 }} {{Refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ub004}} [[Category:German Type UB I submarines]] [[Category:Ships built in Kiel]] [[Category:Ships built in Belgium]] [[Category:1915 ships]] [[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1915]] [[Category:World War I submarines of Germany]] [[Category:Maritime incidents in 1915]] [[Category:U-boats sunk in 1915]] [[Category:U-boats sunk by British warships]] [[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea]] [[Category:U-boats lost with all hands]]