Type UC II submarine

Two Type UC II submarines alongside Austro-Hungarian depot ship Amphitrite at Gjenovic, Bocche di Cattaro, in the Adriatic Sea
Class overview
Builders	AG Weser, Bremen Blohm & Voss, Hamburg Vulcan, Hamburg Germaniawerft, Kiel
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	UC I
Succeeded by	UC III
Cost	1,729,000–2,141,000 German Mark
Built	1916–1918
In commission	1916–1918
Planned	64
Building	64
Completed	64
Lost	46
General characteristics
Type	Coastal minelaying submarine
Displacement	400–434 t (394–427 long tons) surfaced 480–511 t (472–503 long tons) submerged
Length	49.35–53.15 m (161 ft 11 in – 174 ft 5 in) o/a
Beam	5.22 m (17 ft 2 in)
Draught	3.65 m (12 ft)
Propulsion	2 shafts 6-cylinder diesel engines, 500–600 PS (370–440 kW; 490–590 shp) Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 460–620 PS (340–460 kW; 450–610 shp)
Speed	11.6–12 knots (21.5–22.2 km/h; 13.3–13.8 mph) surfaced 6.7–7.4 knots (12.4–13.7 km/h; 7.7–8.5 mph) submerged
Range	7,280–10,040 mi (11,720–16,160 km) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced 52–60 mi (84–97 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	50 m (160 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 23 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	1 periscope
Armament	2 × 50 cm (19.7 in) external bow torpedo tubes 1 × internal stern tube (7 torpedoes) 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 or 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun 1 machine gun 18 × Type UC 200 mines in 6 internal chutes

Type UC II minelaying submarines were used by the Imperial German Navy during World War I. They displaced 417 tons, carried guns, 7 torpedoes and up to 18 mines. The ships were double-hulled with improved range and seakeeping compared to the UC I type.

If judged only by the numbers of enemy vessels destroyed, the UC II is the most successful submarine design in history: According to modern estimates, they sank more than 1800 enemy vessels.

List of Type UC II submarines

There were 64 Type UC II submarines commissioned into the Imperial German Navy.

• SM UC-16
• SM UC-17
• SM UC-18
• SM UC-19
• SM UC-20
• SM UC-21
• SM UC-22
• SM UC-23
• SM UC-24
• SM UC-25
• SM UC-26
• SM UC-27
• SM UC-28
• SM UC-29
• SM UC-30
• SM UC-31

• SM UC-32
• SM UC-33
• SM UC-34
• SM UC-35
• SM UC-36
• SM UC-37
• SM UC-38
• SM UC-39
• SM UC-40
• SM UC-41
• SM UC-42
• SM UC-43
• SM UC-44
• SM UC-45
• SM UC-46
• SM UC-47

• SM UC-48
• SM UC-49
• SM UC-50
• SM UC-51
• SM UC-52
• SM UC-53
• SM UC-54
• SM UC-55
• SM UC-56
• SM UC-57
• SM UC-58
• SM UC-59
• SM UC-60
• SM UC-61
• SM UC-62
• SM UC-63

• SM UC-64
• SM UC-65
• SM UC-66
• SM UC-67
• SM UC-68
• SM UC-69
• SM UC-70
• SM UC-71
• SM UC-72
• SM UC-73
• SM UC-74
• SM UC-75
• SM UC-76
• SM UC-77
• SM UC-78
• SM UC-79

 

References

Bibliography

• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
• Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921