Type UC III minelaying
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s were used by the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the 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 for coast defence. Wilhel ...
() during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. They displaced at the surface and submerged, carried guns, 7
torpedoes and up to 14
mines. The ships were double-hulled with improved range and sea-keeping compared to the
UC II type. The type had better seagoing, maneuvering and turning capabilities than its predecessor, while underwater stability was reduced.
A total of 113 Type UC III submarines were ordered by the Imperial German Navy, but only 25 U-boats were completed before the
Armistice with Germany
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
in 1918. Of those, 16 U-boats actually served in the war. 54 building orders were cancelled in 1918, while 34 U-boats were never completed and broken up in the ship yards.
Design
German Type UC III submarines had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. They had a
length overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...
of , a
beam of , and a
draught of . The submarines were powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing (a total of ), two electric motors producing , and two
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 and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
s. They had a dive time of 15 seconds and were capable of operating at a depth of .
The submarines were designed for a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, they could operate for at ; when surfaced, they could travel at . ''UC III''-class boats were fitted with six mine tubes, fourteen UC 200 mines, three
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 (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...
es, and one
SK L/45 or
Uk L/30 deck gun. Their
complement was twenty-six crew members.
List of Type UC III submarines
Serving in World War I
There were 16 Type UC III submarines serving with the Imperial German Navy during World War I.
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Completed after Armistice and surrendered to the Allies
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Broken up at yard
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See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Type UC 3
Submarine classes
World War I submarines of Germany
World War I minelayers of Germany