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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260726T060000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260726T060000
DTSTAMP:20260726T174729
CREATED:20260605T143924Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T174837Z
UID:10000205-1785045600-1785045600@mutinydiving.com
SUMMARY:U-Boat SM UB-55 (1918)
DESCRIPTION:SM UB-55 wreck dive\nThe SM UB-55 wreck dive explores a German Type UB III submarine lost in the Dover Barrage in 1918. UB-55 left Zeebrugge for another patrol\, then struck a mine while trying to pass through the Strait of Dover. As a result\, 30 men died and 6 survived. \nThis SM UB-55 wreck dive gives you a serious late-war U-boat story with a direct Kent coast connection. By April 1918\, the Dover Barrage had become a deadly barrier of mines\, patrol vessels and detection systems. Therefore\, any Flanders U-boat trying to reach open water faced a very dangerous passage. \nSM UB-55 wreck dive: the submarine before the loss\nA.G. Weser built UB-55 at Bremen as yard number 267. Germany ordered her on 20 May 1916\, laid her down on 5 September 1916 and commissioned her on 1 July 1917. Kapitänleutnant Ralph Wenninger commanded her throughout her active career. \nUB-55 belonged to the Type UB III class. These submarines gave Germany a more capable seagoing attack boat than the earlier coastal UB types. In addition\, they carried torpedoes and an 8.8 cm deck gun\, which allowed them to attack merchant shipping across wider patrol areas. \nShe joined the Flandern Flotilla in August 1917. From the Belgian coast\, boats like UB-55 threatened Allied shipping in the Channel\, the southern North Sea and the Atlantic approaches. Consequently\, the Dover Strait became both a route out and a trap on the way through. \nThe Dover Barrage mine loss\nOn 22 April 1918\, UB-55 tried to pass through the Dover Barrage while outbound from Zeebrugge. Uboat.net records that she sank at 51°01’N\, 1°20’E after striking a mine. Thirty men died\, while six survived. \nHistoric England records a detailed survivor-based account. UB-55 approached the minefield on the surface\, then dived at about 4 am. Soon afterwards\, the crew heard cables scraping along the hull\, followed by an explosion that flooded the aft section and forced the submarine to the bottom. \nAt least some of the crew escaped through the forward and conning tower hatches as water rose inside the boat. Drifters later picked up six survivors and one body. Therefore\, the wreck was not a mystery loss: the survivors confirmed the submarine as UB-55. \nThe casualty figures vary slightly in older records. However\, the clearest working figure for this event page is 30 dead and 6 survivors. That keeps the story readable without turning the page into an argument over archival arithmetic\, which is how joy goes to die. \nYou can read the vessel record in Uboat.net’s UB-55 entry. Meanwhile\, Historic England records the loss\, wreck identification and later archaeological notes in Historic England’s UB-55 wreck record. \nThe wreck today\nFor divers\, UB-55 offers a compact but powerful Dover Strait submarine wreck. Survey records place the wreck about 10 km south of Dover\, with the site lying upright in around 30 m of water. In addition\, Historic England records that the pressure hull lies open just aft of the conning tower. \nRoyal Navy divers located and identified the wreck during the war. They recovered the 8.8 cm deck gun and sent material to London. Later records also note recovered small artefacts\, although modern divers should treat the site with restraint and respect. \nI would treat UB-55 as a war grave in practical and moral terms. However\, I would not describe her as a current Protected Place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 unless separate legal evidence confirms that status. Either way\, this is a look\, learn and leave-alone wreck. \nThe dive tells a sharp story: a successful U-boat\, a mined barrier\, six survivors and thirty men left inside the consequences. Finally\, UB-55 reminds us that the Dover Barrage did not merely defend a coastline. It turned the Strait into a killing ground for submarines trying to pass through. \nUB-55 also has a remarkable postscript. Her commander\, Ralph Wenninger\, survived the sinking and later joined the Luftwaffe\, eventually rising to the rank of General der Flieger during the Second World War. \nAre you a Mutiny Diver? Book more dives.
URL:https://mutinydiving.com/trip/u-boat-sm-ub-55-1918/
LOCATION:Dover Marina\, Esplanade\, Dover\, Kent\, CT17 9FS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event Tickets,Local Wrecks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mutinydiving.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/U-Boat-SM-UB-55.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Chris Webb":MAILTO:skipper@mutinydiving.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260726T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260726T120000
DTSTAMP:20260726T174729
CREATED:20260605T163805Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T174842Z
UID:10000218-1785067200-1785067200@mutinydiving.com
SUMMARY:U-Boat SM UB-109 (1918)
DESCRIPTION:SM UB-109 wreck dive\nThe SM UB-109 wreck dive explores the remains of a German Type UB III submarine lost off Folkestone in 1918. UB-109 had completed a dangerous Atlantic patrol and was trying to return through the Dover Barrage when British shore-controlled mines destroyed her. As a result\, twenty-eight men died and eight survived. \nThis SM UB-109 wreck dive tells one of the sharper late-war Dover Strait stories. The submarine passed through the barrage on her outward journey\, but British forces changed the defences while she remained at sea. Therefore\, when UB-109 returned\, the route she expected to use had become a trap. \nSM UB-109 wreck dive: the submarine before the loss\nBlohm & Voss built UB-109 at Hamburg as yard number 315. Germany ordered her on 23 September 1916\, launched her on 7 July 1917 and commissioned her on 31 December 1917. Kapitänleutnant Kurt Ramien commanded her throughout her operational career. \nUB-109 belonged to the Type UB III class. These submarines worked as seagoing attack boats\, larger and more capable than the earlier coastal UB types. They carried torpedoes and a deck gun\, which allowed them to attack merchant shipping across wider patrol areas. \nBy March 1918\, UB-109 had joined the Flandern I Flotilla. From the Belgian coast\, these boats threatened shipping in the Channel\, the North Sea and the Atlantic approaches. Consequently\, the Dover Strait became both an escape route and a killing ground. \nThe final patrol and the Folkestone Gate\nUB-109 left Zeebrugge in the early hours of 28 July 1918. She passed through the Dover Barrage outward-bound and headed towards the Atlantic. During that patrol\, she added to a wartime record that eventually reached seven ships sunk\, totalling 14\,092 tons. \nHowever\, the British improved the Dover Barrage while Ramien and his crew were away. The Folkestone Gate had allowed friendly surface traffic through the mine defences. Then British forces closed the gap with shore-controlled mines linked to detection systems. \nOn 29 August 1918\, UB-109 tried to return through the same general route. A patrol vessel appears to have forced her to alter course and submerge. Then the shore-controlled minefield detonated as she crossed the defended area. \nThe explosion broke the submarine and flooded her fast. Eight men escaped and were taken prisoner\, but twenty-eight died. British naval divers reached the wreck quickly afterwards and recovered valuable intelligence material from the boat. \nYou can read the vessel record in Uboat.net’s UB-109 entry. Historic England’s archaeological summary appears in Historic England’s UB-109 wreck record. \nThe wreck today\nThe wreck lies off Folkestone and forms part of the wider archaeology of the Dover Barrage. Historic England records the site in territorial waters at about 51°03.731’N\, 001°14.146’E. The archaeological survey found the submarine in two main sections. \nThe forward section remains upright\, while the smaller stern section lies upside down to the south-west. The break sits aft of the conning tower area\, which fits the expected damage from the shore-controlled mine detonation. In addition\, survey records note the 8.8 cm gun\, the partly extended attack periscope and the sand-filled hull. \nFor divers\, UB-109 offers more than a submarine silhouette on the seabed. It shows how the Dover Barrage developed into a deadly system of mines\, listening stations\, patrol vessels and intelligence work. Finally\, it gives the dive real human weight: thirty-six men entered the barrage\, eight came out alive. \nAre you a Mutiny Diver? Book more dives.
URL:https://mutinydiving.com/trip/u-boat-sm-ub-109-1918-2/
LOCATION:Dover Marina\, Esplanade\, Dover\, Kent\, CT17 9FS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event Tickets,Local Wrecks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mutinydiving.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/U-Boat-SM-UB-109.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Chris Webb":MAILTO:skipper@mutinydiving.com
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