SM UC-3

Last updated

History
War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg German Empire
NameUC-3
OrderedNovember 1914 [1]
Builder AG Vulcan, Hamburg [2]
Yard number47 [1]
Launched28 May 1915 [1]
Commissioned1 June 1915 [1]
Fate
  • Sunk 23 April 1916 [3]
  • Sunk 27 May 1916 [1]
General characteristics [4]
Class and type German Type UC I submarine
Displacement
  • 168 t (165 long tons), surfaced
  • 183 t (180 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Draft3.04 m (10 ft)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 6.20 knots (11.48 km/h; 7.13 mph), surfaced
  • 5.22 knots (9.67 km/h; 6.01 mph), submerged
Range
  • 780  nmi (1,440 km; 900 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
  • 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement14
Armament
  • 6 × 100 cm (39 in) mine tubes
  • 12 × UC 120 mines
  • 1 × 8 mm (0.31 in) machine gun
Service record
Part of:
  • Flandern Flotilla
  • 30 June 1915 – 23 April / 27 May 1916
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Erwin Weisbach [5]
  • 1 June – 26 September 1915
  • Oblt.z.S. Erwin Waßner [6]
  • 27 September 1915 – 12 May 1916
  • Oblt.z.S. Günther Kreysern [7]
  • 13 – 27 May 1916[ dubious – discuss ]
Operations: 29 patrols
Victories:
  • 16 merchant ships sunk
    (28,483  GRT)
  • 6 auxiliary warships sunk
    (2,109  GRT)
  • 2 merchant ships damaged
    (1,909  GRT)

SM UC-3 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German : Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 28 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 1 June 1915 as UC-3. [Note 1] Mines laid by UC-3 in her 29 patrols were credited with sinking 22 ships and damaging 2 others. UC-3 was caught in a net, detected by hydrophone, and sunk on 23 April 1916 or mined and sunk on 27 May 1916. [3] [1]

Contents

Design

A German Type UC I submarine, UC-3 had a displacement of 168 tonnes (165 long tons) when at the surface and 183 tonnes (180 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 33.99 m (111 ft 6 in), a beam of 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in), and a draught of 3.04 m (10 ft). The submarine was powered by one Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine producing 90 metric horsepower (66 kW; 89 shp), an electric motor producing 175 metric horsepower (129 kW; 173 shp), and one propeller shaft. She was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft). [4]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 6.20 knots (11.48 km/h; 7.13 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 5.22 knots (9.67 km/h; 6.01 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 780 nautical miles (1,440 km; 900 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). UC-3 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, twelve UC 120 mines, and one 8 millimetres (0.31 in) machine gun. She was built by AG Vulcan Stettin and her complement was fourteen crew members. [4]

Fate

UC-3 was the first submarine to be detected and sunk using a hydrophone. UC-3's fate have different version: One is on 23 April 1916 she was detected using a hydrophone, trapped in a net, and then quickly sunk after a large explosion. [3] The ship that sank her was the anti-submarine trawler Cheerio, captained by Thomson. [8] Another is on 27 May 1916, she got mined and sunk. [1]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage [Note 2] Fate [9]
5 July 1915 Peik Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,168Sunk
14 July 1915 Vivid Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 150Sunk
20 July 1915 HMY Rhiannon Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 137Sunk
21 July 1915 HMT Briton Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 196Sunk
12 September 1915 Ashmore Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,519Sunk
14 October 1915 Salerno Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,071Sunk
16 October 1915 Volscian Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 570Damaged
17 October 1915 HMT Javelin Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 205Sunk
25 October 1915 Selma Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1,654Sunk
6 November 1915 Alastair Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 366Sunk
11 November 1915 Rhineland Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,501Sunk
17 November 1915 Ulriken Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 2,379Sunk
29 November 1915 HMS Duchess of Hamilton Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 553Sunk
10 December 1915 Nereus Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 742Sunk
11 December 1915 Pinegrove Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 2,847Sunk
18 December 1915 Nico Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 712Sunk
21 December 1915 HMS Lady Ismay Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy 495Sunk
27 December 1915 Hadley Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,777Sunk
14 January 1916 Breslau Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,339Damaged
18 January 1916 Auvergne Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svg  French Navy 523Sunk
8 February 1916 Argo Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,720Sunk
28 February 1916 Thornaby Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,782Sunk
26 May 1916 Denewood Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,221Sunk
3 June 1916 Golconda Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 5,874Sunk

Notes

  1. ↑ "SM" stands for Seiner Majestäts (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the "U" for Unterseeboot translates as "His Majesty's Submarine".
  2. ↑ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Related Research Articles

SM <i>UC-1</i>

SM UC-1 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 26 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 July 1915 as SM UC-1. Mines laid by UC-1 in her 80 patrols were credited with sinking 41 ships. UC-1 disappeared after 18 July 1917. UC-1 was sunk on 24 July 1917 by F2B Felixstowe flying boat. Standard practice was to fly along the U boat and drop 2 250lb bombs astride it, hoping to cause leaks and give time for a destroyer to collect the submariners and sink it. On this occasion, by fluke, one bomb went through the conning tower and blew the base out of UC1. MFG Mill was awarded the DFC for this but he refused to wear it because of the total loss of life <london Gazette> <MFG Mill Diaries>

SM UC-4 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 6 June 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 10 June 1915 as SM UC-4. Mines laid by UC-4 in her 73 patrols were credited with sinking 36 ships. UC-4 was scuttled off the coast of Flanders during the German evacuation on 5 October 1918.

SM UC-6 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 20 June 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 24 June 1915 as SM UC-6. Mines laid by UC-6 in her 89 patrols were credited with sinking 55 ships.

SM UC-7 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 6 July 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 9 July 1915 as SM UC-7. Mines laid by UC-7 in her 34 patrols were credited with sinking 32 ships.

SM UC-11 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 26 January 1915, and was launched on 11 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 23 April 1915 as SM UC-11. Mines laid by UC-11 in her 83 patrols were credited with sinking 27 ships. UC-11 was mined and sunk on 26 June 1918. A crew member was Rudolf Finkler from Oberlinxweiler, Kreis St. Wendel, Germany. According to his death record the boat went down in the North Sea near Harwich, abt. 2.5 nautical miles north east of Funk Feuerschiff on position 51°55′N1°41′E.

SM UC-12 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I.

SM UC-14 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 28 January 1915, and was launched on 13 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 June 1915 as SM UC-14. Mines laid by UC-14 in her 38 patrols were credited with sinking 16 ships, one of which was the Italian pre-dreadnought battleship Regina Margherita, which at 13,427 tonnes displacement was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war. UC-14 was mined and sunk on 3 October 1917.

SM UC-20 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 29 August 1915 and was launched on 1 April 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 7 September 1916 as SM UC-20. In 13 patrols UC-20 was credited with sinking 21 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-20 was surrendered on 16 January 1919 and broken up at Preston in 1919–20.

SM UC-22 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 29 August 1915 and was launched on 1 February 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 30 June 1916 as SM UC-22. In 15 patrols UC-22 was credited with sinking 23 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-22 was surrendered to France on 3 February 1919 and was broken up at Landerneau in July 1921.

SM UC-35 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 6 May 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 October 1916 as SM UC-35. In eleven patrols UC-35 was credited with sinking 48 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-35 was sunk by gunfire from the French torpedo boat Aigli southwest of Sardinia on 16 May 1918 at 39°48′N7°42′E.

SM UC-49 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 7 November 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 December 1916 as SM UC-49. In 13 patrols UC-49 was credited with sinking 26 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-49 was sunk by mine off coast of Flanders on 14 August 1918.

SM UC-51 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 5 December 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 6 January 1917 as SM UC-51. In seven patrols UC-51 was credited with sinking 28 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-51 was mined and sunk in the English Channel on 17 November 1917.

SM UC-64 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916, laid down on 3 April 1916, and was launched on 23 January 1917. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 22 February 1917 as SM UC-64. In 15 patrols UC-64 was credited with sinking 26 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-64 was mined and sunk in the Dover Strait on 20 June 1918.

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SM UC-77 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 2 December 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 29 December 1916 as SM UC-77. In 13 patrols UC-77 was credited with sinking 34 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-77 was mined and sunk off Flanders on 11 July 1918.

SM UC-78 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 8 December 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 10 January 1917 as SM UC-78. In twelve patrols UC-78 was credited with sinking 1 warship, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-78 was rammed and sunk by the British steamer Queen Alexandra west of Cherbourg on 9 May 1918.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 3". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Tarrant, p. 173.
  3. 1 2 3 Brodie, Bernard; Brodie, Fawn M. (1973). From Crossbow to H-bomb: the evolution of tactics and warfare (First Midland ed.). Indiana University Press. p. 184. ISBN   0253201616 . Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Gröner 1991, pp. 30–31.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Erwin Weisbach". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Erwin Waßner (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Günther Kreysern". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Thomas, Lowell (July 1929). "Fighting the Submarine". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UC 3". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

Bibliography

51°35′N3°8′W / 51.583°N 3.133°W / 51.583; -3.133

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