SM UB-14
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SM ''UB-14'' was a German Type UB I
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
or
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
in the
German Imperial Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly f ...
() during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The submarine was also known by the
Austro-Hungarian Navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', ) was the navy, naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were designated ''SMS'', for ''Seiner Majestät Schiff'' (His Majes ...
designation of SM ''U-26''. ''UB-14'' was ordered in October 1914 and was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
at the
AG Weser Aktien-Gesellschaft "Weser" (abbreviated A.G. "Weser") was one of the major Germany, German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,4 ...
shipyard in
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
in November. ''UB-14'' was a little under in length and displaced between , depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es for her two bow
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s and was also armed with a deck-mounted machine gun. ''UB-14'' was broken into sections and shipped by rail to the Austrian port Pola for reassembly. She was
launch Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, or ...
ed and
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
ed in March 1915 as SM ''UB-14'' in the German Imperial Navy under the command of
Oberleutnant zur See (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies, OF-1 in NATO. The rank was ...
Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg (24 October 1889 – October 1945) was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as ''Vizeadmiral'' (vice admiral) in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. World War I On 10 June 1 ...
."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''. Because Germany and Italy were not yet at war when ''UB-14'' entered service, she was transferred in name only to the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The submarine retained her German captain and crew, and remained under German command as a part of the ''Kaiserliche Marine''s
Pola Flotilla The Pola flotilla (''U-Flottille Pola'') was an Imperial German Navy (IGN) formation set up to implement the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean during the First World War in support of Germany's ally, the Austro-Hungaria ...
. During her first patrol in the
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, ''UB-14'' torpedoed and sank the . While traveling to Constantinople (present-day
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
) to join the
Constantinople Flotilla The Constantinople Flotilla () was an Imperial German Navy formation set up during World War I to execute the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in support of Germany's ally, the Ottoman Empire. Despite ...
, ''UB-14'' attacked two British troopships, sinking with heavy loss of life, and seriously damaging . All three of ''UB-14''s first victims were among the largest ships attacked by U-boats during the war. Although ''UB-14'' sank the British submarine in the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
in November 1915, she spent most of the rest of her career patrolling in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. The U-boat had only limited success there, sinking only three ships through the end of the war. After the war ended, the submarine was disarmed at
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
and scuttled off that port in early 1919.


Design and construction

After the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
's rapid advance along the North Sea coast in the earliest stages of World War I, the
German Imperial Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly f ...
found itself without suitable submarines that could be operated in the narrow and shallow seas off
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
.Miller, pp. 46–47.Karau, p. 48. Project 34, a design effort begun in mid-August 1914, produced the 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 long and displacing about with two
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s.A further refinement of the design—replacing the torpedo tubes with
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...
chutes but changing little else—evolved into the Type UC I coastal
minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...
submarine. See: Miller, p. 458.
''UB-14'' was part of the initial allotment of seven submarines—numbered to —ordered on 15 October from
AG Weser Aktien-Gesellschaft "Weser" (abbreviated A.G. "Weser") was one of the major Germany, German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,4 ...
of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
, just shy of two months after planning for the class began.Williamson, p. 12. ''UB-14'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
by Weser in Bremen on 9 November. As built, ''UB-14'' was long, abeam, and had a
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
of . She had a single
Körting Körting is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Georg Körting (1844–1919), German Chief Surgeon General of the Guards Corps in the First World War * Gustav Körting (1845–1913), German philologist * Heinrich Körting (1859–189 ...
4-cylinder
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
for surface travel, and a single
Siemens-Schuckert Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & H ...
electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...
for underwater travel, both attached to a single
propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect o ...
. Her top speeds were , surfaced, and , submerged. At more moderate speeds, she could sail up to on the surface before refueling, and up to submerged before recharging her batteries. Like all boats of the class, ''UB-14'' was rated to a diving depth of , and could completely submerge in 33 seconds. ''UB-14'' was armed with two
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es in two bow
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s. She was also outfitted for a single machine gun on deck. ''UB-14''s standard complement consisted of one officer and thirteen enlisted men.Karau, p. 49.


Launching and commissioning

Most of the UB I boats were shipped to their port of operations by rail, where they were assembled,
launch Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, or ...
ed, tested, and
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
ed. Information on ''UB-14'' suggests that she may not have followed that pattern as closely as most other boats. According to several sources, ''UB-14'' was launched on 23 March 1915, and commissioned into the German Imperial Navy as SM ''UB-14'' on 25 March under the command of
Oberleutnant zur See (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies, OF-1 in NATO. The rank was ...
Heino von Heimburg Heino von Heimburg (24 October 1889 – October 1945) was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and served also as ''Vizeadmiral'' (vice admiral) in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. World War I On 10 June 1 ...
a 25-year-old first-time U-boat commander.Von Heimburg was in the Navy's April 1907 cadet class with 34 other future U-boat captains, including
Werner Fürbringer Werner "Fips" Fürbringer (2 October 1888 – 8 February 1982) was a successful German U-boat commander in the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' during World War I, sinking 101 ships. He was later promoted to the rank of ''Konteradmiral'' during World War ...
, Hans Howaldt,
Otto Steinbrinck Otto Steinbrinck (19 December 1888 – 16 August 1949) was a highly decorated World War I naval officer and German industrialist who was later indicted and found guilty in the Nuremberg Flick Trial. Having had a very successful career as a U-bo ...
, and Ralph Wenninger. See:
Those same sources are silent on ''UB-14''s whereabouts at the time, but information on ''UB-14'' later shipment and arrival in the Mediterranean suggest that her initial launch and commissioning may have occurred in Germany. ''UB-14'' was shipped by rail in June to the main Austrian naval base at Pola, with an arrival date on the 12th. The process of shipping a UB I boat involved breaking the submarine down into what was essentially a
knock down kit A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, and then exported to another country or r ...
. Each boat was broken into approximately fifteen pieces and loaded onto eight railway
flatcar A flatcar (US) (also flat car, or flatbed) is a piece of rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on trucks (US) or bogies (UK) at each end. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry extra heavy or extra large loads are mounted ...
s. German engineers and technicians that accompanied earlier UB I boats to Pola worked under the supervision of
Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...
Hans Adam, head of the U-boat special command ().Koburger, p. 82. Typically, the UB I assembly process took about two to three weeks.Messimer, pp. 126–27. While ''UB-14'' made her way to Austria-Hungary, von Heimburg and his German crew were assigned to ''UB-15'' at Pola. The submarine was temporarily commissioned into the German Imperial Navy before a subsequent transfer to the
Austro-Hungarian Navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', ) was the navy, naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were designated ''SMS'', for ''Seiner Majestät Schiff'' (His Majes ...
as its .Stern, p. 24. Von Heimburg and his German crew, with one Austrian officer aboard, gained valuable experience in ''UB-15''/''U-11'', sinking the on that U-boat's first patrol.Stern, pp. 24–26. Stern provides an in-depth recounting of the sinking of ''Medusa'' with reproductions of von Heimburg's hand-drawn diagrams of the attack. ''UB-15''/''U-11'' was handed over to the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 16 June, and von Heimburg and his crew were transferred intact on 21 June to ''UB-14'', which was still a few days from completion.Stern, p. 26 At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Italy had declined to join its
Triple Alliance Triple Alliance may refer to: * Aztec Triple Alliance (1428–1521), Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan and in central Mexico * Triple Alliance (1596), England, France, and the Dutch Republic to counter Spain * Triple Alliance (1668), England, the ...
partners—Germany and Austria-Hungary—in declaring war against the
Entente Powers The Allies or the Entente (, ) was an international military coalition of countries led by the French Republic, the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire, the United States, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Empire of Japan against the Central Powers ...
, and opted to remain neutral. Pressure from the United Kingdom and France swayed Italy to sign the secret
1915 Treaty of London The Treaty of London (; ) or the Pact of London (, ) was a secret agreement concluded on 26 April 1915 by the United Kingdom, France, and Russia on the one part, and Kingdom of Italy, Italy on the other, in order to entice the last to enter ...
on 26 April, in which Italy promised to leave the Triple Alliance and declare war against its former allies within a month in return for territorial gains after the end of the war. Because Italy initially declared war only on Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy were not officially at war. As a consequence, German submarines operating in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean were all assigned Austrian numbers and flew the flag of Austria-Hungary when making attacks on Italian vessels; ''UB-14'' was assigned the designation of ''U-26'' and entered onto the rolls of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, despite the fact that she remained completely under German control.Sondhaus, p. 279. According to historian Lawrence Sondhaus, this dual numbering system reflected the close submarine cooperation between the two countries and still makes it difficult to distinguish between submarines of the two navies. On 1 July, ''UB-14'' joined the
Pola Flotilla The Pola flotilla (''U-Flottille Pola'') was an Imperial German Navy (IGN) formation set up to implement the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean during the First World War in support of Germany's ally, the Austro-Hungaria ...
(), and departed soon thereafter on her first patrol. On the night of 6/7 July, Italian
armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a pre-dreadnought battles ...
s that had recently been deployed at
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
undertook a "reconnaissance in force" off Pola in an attempt to discourage future Austrian sorties against the Italian coast. When the Italian ships retired in the early morning hours of the 7th, ''UB-14'' was about off Venice. At dawn, the armored cruiser crossed paths with ''UB-14'' and was torpedoed. ''Amalfi'' quickly began listing to port and sank within 30 minutes with the loss of 67 men. At displacement, ''Amalfi'' was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war. ''UB-14'' escaped the scene without damage.


Aegean Sea

Enver Pasha İsmâil Enver (; ; 23 November 1881 – 4 August 1922), better known as Enver Pasha, was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turkish people, Turkish military officer, revolutionary, and Istanbul trials of 1919–1920, convicted war criminal who was a p ...
and other Turkish leaders had been pleading with their German and Austrian allies to send submarines to the Dardanelles to help attack the British and French fleet pounding Turkish positions.Halpern, p. 116. As part of the German response, ''UB-14'' was ordered to Constantinople (present-day
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
) to join ;
sister boat A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s and ; and the UC I boats and in the
Constantinople Flotilla The Constantinople Flotilla () was an Imperial German Navy formation set up during World War I to execute the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in support of Germany's ally, the Ottoman Empire. Despite ...
().Tarrant, p. 23. Since her intermediate refueling stop at
Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
was beyond her limited range, ''UB-14'' departed Pola under tow from an Austrian destroyer on 15 July 1915. ''UB-14''s engine and
gyrocompass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical Direction (geometry), direction automaticall ...
broke down while off
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
, leaving the boat dead in the water for a time,The single
propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect o ...
/engine combo was a known weakness of the UB I design that was rectified in the larger Type UB II. See: Miller, p. 48; Williamson, p. 13.
but temporary repairs by the crew enabled the boat to make Bodrum on the 24th. A repair crew from Constantinople was dispatched—having to travel by train and camel just to reach ''UB-14''—and the ship was ready to resume her journey on 13 August.Naval historian Paul Halpern (p. 149) reports that ''UB-14'' was involved in a scouting operation with the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the central Adriatic on 28 July. Given that ''UB-14'' needed towing assistance and nine days to make Bodrum, it seems unlikely that the submarine could accomplish a passage back to the Adriatic in four days time. Shortly after departing Bodrum, ''UB-14'' had just cleared the Greek island of
Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...
and was off the nearby island of Kandeloussa when von Heimburg sighted several potential victims. The first ship seen was the British hospital ship , headed to Alexandria from the Dardanelles. Von Heimburg, seeing the properly identified hospital ship, allowed ''Soudan'' to pass unmolested. The next ship was not so lucky, however. It was the unescorted , a Canadian
ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
pressed into
troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...
duties. ''Royal Edward'' was headed in the opposite direction from ''Soudan'': from Alexandria to the Dardanelles with reinforcements for the British 29th Infantry and a small group with the
Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...
, all of whom were destined for
Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
.Wise and Baron, pp. 75–76. Von Heimburg launched one of his two torpedoes from about a mile (2 km) away and hit ''Royal Edward'' in the stern; the ship sank stern-first in six minutes, with a large loss of life. ''Soudan'' and several other ships were able to rescue nearly 700 men, but over 900 died.Wise and Baron, p. 77.According to authors James Wise and Scott Baron (p. 77), ''Royal Edward''s death toll was 935 and was as high as it was, they contend, because ''Royal Edward'' had just completed a boat drill and the majority of the men were belowdecks re-stowing their equipment. Other sources report widely varying numbers of casualties, ranging from 132 on the low end (Tennent, pp. 36–37), to as many as 1,386 (Hendrickson, p. 270) or 1,865 (Gilbert, p. 185) on the upper end. ''Royal Edward'', at , was also among the largest ships hit by U-boats during the war. While evading the rescue ships, which included two French destroyers, ''UB-14''s compass broke down again, forcing a return to Bodrum on the morning of the 15th.Stern, p. 27. After repairs were completed at Bodrum, ''UB-14'' continued on her way with a passenger, Prince Heinrich XXXVII Reuss of Köstritz (of the
Reuss Junior Line The Principality of Reuss-Gera (), officially called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line () after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. It was one of the successor states of the Imperial Cou ...
) who needed passage to Constantinople. During the journey north, ''UB-14'' came upon another fully loaded troopship near the island of Efstratis, about from
Lemnos Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...
. At 09:51 on 2 September, von Heimburg launched a single torpedo at the British troopship , which was carrying mostly Australian troops headed for Gallipoli.Piper, pp. 163–64. The torpedo scored a hit on the starboard bow of the liner, which immediately began to list in that direction. As the men boarded lifeboats to abandon ship, another torpedo narrowly missed the stricken ship. The British
seaplane carrier A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
sped to the scene of the attack, and rescued nearly 700 men from the water. The hospital ship was also on the scene and rescued a sizable number. A group of about 40 volunteers stayed on board ''Southland'' to help the crew, and with some towing assistance from ''Ben-my-Chree'', were able to beach the ship on Lemnos. In all, fewer than 40 men died in the attack; among ''Southland''s survivors was James Martin, who, upon his death less than two months later, became the youngest Australian known to have died in the war. The stricken ship had received serious damage, but was later repaired and returned to service.s return to service was short-lived; she was sunk by in the North Atlantic in June 1917. As with ''UB-14''s first two targets, ''Southland'' was also the largest ships hit by U-boats, giving von Heimburg and ''UB-14'' three victims from the list of the largest in their first three attacks. After the attack on ''Southland'', ''UB-14'' broke down again and put in at Chanak to await repairs. While there on 4 September, word came of the British submarine entangled in Turkish
antisubmarine net An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines. Net laying ships would be used to place and remove the nets. The US Navy used anti-submarine nets in the ...
s off
Nagara Point Nara Burnu ( Turkish "Cape Nara"), formerly Nağara Burnu, in English Nagara Point, and in older sources Point Pesquies, is a headland on the Anatolian side of the Dardanelles Straits, north of Çanakkale. It is the narrowest and, with , the deepe ...
. Von Heimburg, Prince Heinrich, and ''UB-14''s cook, a man by the name of Herzig, set out in a rowboat to observe the Turkish attempts to destroy ''E7''. After several
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...
s that formed part of the net had been detonated to no avail,The type of net in use had electric contact mines that were triggered from the shore. See: Stern: p. 29. von Heimburg and his group rowed out and repeatedly dropped a plumb line until it contacted metal. Then, von Heimburg dropped a Turkish sinker mine with a shortened fuse right on top of ''E7''.Stern, pp. 29–30. After the hand-dropped mine detonated too close for the British submarine's captain's comfort, he ordered his boat surfaced, abandoned, and
scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...
. Between shellfire from the Turkish shore batteries and ''E7''s scuttling charges, von Heimburg and company narrowly escaped harm.Stern, p. 30. While most sources credit ''E7''s sinking to the Turkish efforts, author Robert Stern contends that von Heimburg and ''UB-14'' deserve partial credit for the demise of ''E7''.Stern, p. 38.


Black Sea

After ''UB-14''s repairs were completed, she continued on to Constantinople and, from there, began a patrol in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
on 3 October. During this patrol, von Heimburg torpedoed the 474 GRT Russian steamer ''Katja'' about northwest of
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
on the 7th, and ''Apscheron'', a Belgian steamer expropriated by the
Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...
, south of Cape Chersonesos on the 8th. After her return to Constantinople on the 19th, ''UB-14'' was prepared for another patrol in the Black Sea. Just before her scheduled departure, however, the U-boat's destination was changed from the Black Sea to the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
and von Heimburg and ''UB-14'' headed south on 5 November. While ''UB-14'' had been in port on 30 November, Turkish forces had captured the before the submarine or any of the confidential papers on board could be destroyed. When ''Turquoise'' was caught, her commander had not signaled her predicament to anyone, so a scheduled rendezvous with the British submarine —as far as anyone other than ''Turquoise'' or the Germans and Turks knew—was still on. ''UB-14'' had been sent to keep the rendezvous,Stern, p. 31. reportedly going so far as to radio messages in the latest British code.Grant, p. 33. Upon arriving at the designated location, ''UB-14'' surfaced and fired a torpedo at ''E20'' from a distance of . Only when ''E20''s crew saw the torpedo did they realize something was amiss, but it was too late to avoid the weapon.Stern, p. 32. The torpedo hit ''E20''s
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...
and sank the submarine with the loss of 21 men. ''UB-14'' rescued nine men, including ''E20''s captain who, reportedly, had been brushing his teeth at the time of the attack.Stern, p. 34. In December, von Heimburg was replaced as ''UB-14''s commander by
Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...
Albrecht von Dewitz, but in early February 1916, von Heimburg resumed command. ''UB-14''s activities between November and May are not reported in sources, but Paul Halpern reports that ''UB-14'' patrolled in the Black Sea off
Trebizond Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid Em ...
from late May to early June, returning to Constantinople without success.Halpern, p. 244. On 17 June, von Heimburg was recalled to Germany to command the soon-to-be-commissioned , and was replaced on ''UB-14'' by Kapitänleutnant Kurt Schwarz, a first time U-boat commander. Soon after Schwarz assumed command, ''UB-14'' was in the Black Sea in support of a July sortie by the German battlecruiser and the light cruiser in the eastern Black Sea. Because the Russian fleet, headquartered at Sevastopol, might have an opportunity to cut off the German warships on the mission, ''UB-14'' was sent on station off Sevastopol. When the Russian fleet did sortie, Schwarz attempted to torpedo the , but was seen and driven off by Russian dreadnought's screen of destroyers.Halpern, p. 245. After Romania joined the war on the side of the
Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...
in August and was quickly overrun by the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...
, the Russian efforts in the Black Sea in the second half of 1916 were focused in the west.Halpern, p. 247. Because German submarines never really accomplished all that much in the Black Sea,Halpern, p. 249. the February 1917 resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare led the Germans to temporarily abandon the Black Sea in lieu of the more target-rich Mediterranean. ''UB-14''s whereabouts and activities during the latter half of 1916 and the first few months of 1917 are unreported in sources. On 28 May 1917, ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Ernst Ulrich replaced Schwarz, and, soon after, ''UB-14'' sailed on the first German patrol of the year in the Black Sea.Halpern, p. 253. On 5 June, ''UB-14'' sank the 155 GRT Russian sailing vessel ''Karasunda'' north of
Poti Poti ( ka, ფოთი ; Mingrelian language, Mingrelian: ფუთი; Laz language, Laz: ჶაში/Faşi or ფაში/Paşi) is a port city in Georgia (country), Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the mkhare, region of ...
; ''Karasunda'' was the last ship credited to ''UB-14''. Other than to note that ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Bodo Elleke succeeded Ulrich in March 1918, there is no mention in sources of ''UB-14''s activities between June 1917 and November 1918. After the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
signed the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria), by which Russia withdrew from World War I. The treaty, whi ...
with the Central Powers on 3 March 1918, exiting the war, forces of the Central Powers surrounded and later seized the port of Sevastopol. ''UB-14'' was at Sevastopol after the Germany signed the armistice treaty that ended all fighting on 11 November. ''UB-14'' and the three other surviving Constantinople Flotilla boatsThe other three were , , and . See: Gibson and Prendergast, p. 332, note 1. were disarmed on 25 November. ''UB-14'' was scuttled in the Black Sea off Sevastopol in the early months of 1919.


Summary of raiding history


Gallery

File:Heino von Heimburg.jpg, SM ''UB-14'', Commander Oberleutnant zur See Heino von Heimburg with Pour-le-Merit File:SM UB-14 Flagge.jpg, SM ''UB-14'' preparing to leave Pola for Constantinople File:SM UB-14 Schlepp.jpg, SM ''UB-14'' towed towards Street of Otranto File:SM UB-14 Ruder.jpg, SM ''UB-14'' in Constantinople


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ub014 German Type UB I submarines Ships built in Bremen (state) Ships built in Pola 1915 ships U-boats commissioned in 1915 World War I submarines of Germany Maritime incidents in 1919 Scuttled vessels of Germany U-boats sunk in 1919 Shipwrecks in the Black Sea