SM ''UC-41'' was a German Type UC II 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 ...

or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (german: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 13 September 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 October 1916 as SM ''UC-41''."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" ( en, His Majesty's) and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''. In a nine-month career that encompassed seven patrols ''UC-41'' was credited with sinking 18 ships totaling 19,475 GRT, either by torpedo or by mines laid. The writer David Masters attributed the sinking of the two tiny naval fishing smacks ''Nelson'' and ''Ethel & Millie'' to ''UC-41'' during an engagement on 15 August 1917. However this was actually ''UC-63'', the logs of which record the event. ''UC-41'' was lost on 21 August 1917 after suffering an unexplained internal explosion of one of her mines which forced her to suddenly rise to the surface in the Tay estuary, where she was spotted by British naval trawlers and

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

d, killing all 27 German sailors and possibly seven British prisoners of war as well. Her wreck was rediscovered in 2003.

Design

German Type UC II submarine Type UC II minelaying submarines were used by the Imperial German Navy during World War I. They displaced 417 tons, carried guns, 7 torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-prope ...

, ''UC-41'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She 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, an ...

of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing (a total of ), two electric motors producing , and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 48 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''UC-41'' was fitted with six mine tubes, eighteen UC 200 mines, three torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uc041 Ships built in Hamburg German Type UC II submarines U-boats commissioned in 1916 Maritime incidents in 1917 U-boats sunk in 1917 U-boats sunk by mines U-boats sunk by British warships World War I minelayers of Germany World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea World War I submarines of Germany 1916 ships Ships lost with all hands