UB-88
Location: San Pedro, California
Wreck: The UB-88
Teams:
Team 1 - Symeon Manias & Curtis Wolfslau
Team 2 - Jim Babor & Karim Hamza
Surface Support: Mike Schlegel
Mission Impact: Photos and videos collected for mission planning phase and photogrammetry model started.
Team Ghost Diving USA set off on the first on many missions to the UB-88. This is an exciting project for the team! The UB-88 is one of the more unique offerings in Southern California diving. For this mission, the primary objective was to gather documentation of the nets that are currently on the wreck and begin the photogrammetry modeling process. The teams were able to meet both of these objectives!
Symeon and Curtis focused on collecting images to create a photogrammetry model. Jim and Karim focused on collecting photos of the nets and how they are attached to the wreck. the purpose of these images to allow the team to precisely plan how they will address each part of the net and determine how they want to prioritize the different areas of net.
The history of the UB-88 is rich and presents Ghost Diving USA with a unique opportunity to help preserve the history of this historic site.
The UB-88 was originally built during World War 1, specifically, in February 1917 in Hamburg, Germany. UB-88 was commissioned by the Imperial German Navy on January 26, 1918 with Oberleutnant (Lieutenant) Johannes Ries at the helm. After initial testing was completed, Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant Captain) Reinhard Von Rabenau was placed in command. Kapitänleutnant Von Rabenau had a lengthy resume of successful missions on the UC-77.
Once Von Rabenau took command of the submarine, the UB-88 was assigned to the First Submarine Flotilla, Flanders. On June 10, 1918, the UB-88 encountered 5 British freighters, 6 trawlers, 2 destroyers, and 2 aircraft. She successfully sank the British steamer the Princess Maud (Cressman & Mann, 2021). This would be the first of many scrimmages that would prove UB-88 victorious. Over the course of her summer 1918 tour, UB-88 would encounter a number of vessels or fleets. She would ultimately claim the lives of at least 83 men and an unknown (but extensive) amount of cargo.
On October 3, 1918, she was reassigned to the Second Submarine Fleet, High Seas Fleet and remained inactive through the end of World War 1. On November 11, 1918, the UB-88 alongside the High Seas Fleet, surrendered when the armistice ended the conflict. UB-88, along with other vessels, was acquired by the US Navy on March 23, 1919 with the acquisition being advertised in conjunction with a Victory Bond drive. the agreement was that the U-boat was to be destroyed at the conclusion of the bond campaign.
She arrived in New York on April 27, 1919. After some final work was completed, UB-88 set out on a tour of the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi River, the coast of Mexico, the California coast and the Pacific Northwest. UB-88 left New York on May 5, 1919 and initially arrived in San Diego, California on August 29, 1919. She returned to San Pedro, California on November 7. After being laid up for 4 months, the work to dismantle her began on April 1, 1920. After she was decommissioned on November 1, 1920, she was sunk by a wickes destroyer’s gunfire on March 1, 1921.