The Type UC I coastal submarines were a class of small minelaying

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s built in Germany during the early part of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. They were the first operational minelaying submarines in the world (although the Russian submarine ''Krab'' was laid down earlier). A total of fifteen boats were built. The class is sometimes also referred to as the ''UC-1'' class after , the

class leader The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

. The Italian X-class submarine was a reverse-engineered and modified type of the UC-1-class.

Design

These submarines were designed by Dr. Werner of the Torpedo Inspectorate, and based on the Type UB I small coastal submarines, with a revised bow section housing inclined minelaying tubes and uprated engines to compensate for the increased displacement and less streamlined form. The boats' sole armament was six internal mine tubes with 12 mines, although ''UC-11'' was fitted with a single external

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 ...

in 1916. They were constructed very quickly, and suffered from problems with their minelaying system, which in some cases caused the mines to become armed before exiting their tubes and explode prematurely. Type UC I submarines had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. They had a length overall of , a beam of , and a draught of . The submarines were powered by one

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (abbreviated as DMG, also known as ''Daimler Motors Corporation'') was a German engineering company and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900) and ...

or Benz six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine producing , an electric motor producing , and one

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 ...

. They were capable of operating at a depth of . The submarines had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, they could operate for at ; when surfaced, they could travel at . They were fitted with six mine tubes, twelve UC 120 mines, and one machine gun. They were built by

AG Vulcan Stettin Aktien-Gesellschaft Vulcan Stettin (short AG Vulcan Stettin) was a German shipbuilding and locomotive building company. Founded in 1851, it was located near the former eastern German city of Stettin, today Polish Szczecin. Because of the limited ...

AG Weser Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" (abbreviated A.G. „Weser”) was one of the major German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,400 ...

Bremen and their

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was fourteen crew members.

List of Type UC I submarines

A total of 15 Type UC I submarines were built. * , struck mine off Nieuport, 19 July 1917 * , rammed and sunk by coaster ''Cottingham'' off Great Yarmouth, 2 July 1915 * , struck mine off Zeebrugge, 27 May 1916 * , destroyed at Zeebrugge, 5 October 1918 * , wrecked in Thames Estuary 27 April 1916 * , sunk by British seaplanes, Thames Estuary, 27 September 1917 * , departed Zeebrugge, 3 July 1916, and did not return. Believed to have struck a mine * , grounded on Dutch coast, 14 November 1915. Interned by Netherlands and served in Dutch Navy as the HLNMS ''M-1'' until broken up in 1932Dutchsubmarines.com
/ref> * , sunk by detonation of its own mines, North Sea, 21 October 1915 * , sunk by British submarine ''E54'' 21 August 1916, off Dutch coast * , struck mine in English Channel, 16 June 1918 * , sunk by detonation of its own mines, 16 March 1916 near Taranto; salvaged and repaired by Italy as ''X1'' (scrapped 1919) * , ran aground and scuttled, Turkish coast, 29 November 1915 * , struck mine off Zeebrugge, 3 October 1917 * , failed to return from

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

patrol, November 1916

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Type UC 1 Submarine classes German Type UC I submarines World War I submarines of Germany World War I minelayers of Germany