German Type UC III submarine

German Type UC III submarine
German Type UC III submarine
	UC-93 in Italy, 1918
Class overview
Builders:	AG Weser, Bremen; Blohm & Voss, Hamburg; Vulcan, Hamburg; Germaniawerft, Kiel
Operators:	Kaiserliche Marine
Preceded by:	UC II
Cost:	3,303,000 German paper marks
Built:	1917–1918
In commission:	1918–1919
Building:	59
Planned:	113
Completed:	25
Cancelled:	54
Lost:	1
General characteristics
Type:	Coastal minelaying submarine
Displacement:	474 t (467 long tons) surfaced; 560–582 t (551–573 long tons) submerged
Length:	56.1–57.1 m (184–187 ft) o/a
Beam:	5.54–5.9 m (18.2–19.4 ft)
Draught:	3.66–3.77 m (12.0–12.4 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shafts; 6-cylinder diesel engines, 580–600 ihp (433–447 kW); Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 770 ihp (574 kW)
Speed:	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) surfaced; 6.6 knots (12.2 km/h; 7.6 mph) submerged
Range:	9,850 mi (15,850 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced; 40 mi (64 km) at 4.5 kn (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged
Test depth:	75 m (246 ft)
Complement:	3 officers, 29 enlisted
Armament:	• 2 × 50 cm (19.7 in) external bow torpedo tubes; • 1 × internal stern tube (7 torpedoes); • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) or 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun; • 14 × UC 200 mines in 6 internal chutes

Type UC III minelaying submarines were used by the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. They displaced 474 tonnes (467 long tons) at the surface and 560–582 t (551–573 long tons) submerged, carried guns, 7 torpedoes and up to 14 mines. The ships were double-hulled with improved range and seakeeping compared to the UC II type. The type had better seagoing, manouvre 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 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.

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.

Completed after Armistice and surrendered to the Allies[]

Broken up at yard[]

SM UC-80
SM UC-81
SM UC-82
SM UC-83
SM UC-84
SM UC-85
SM UC-86
SM UC-87
SM UC-88
SM UC-89
SM UC-115
SM UC-116
SM UC-117
SM UC-118
SM UC-119
SM UC-120
SM UC-121
SM UC-122
SM UC-123
SM UC-124
SM UC-125
SM UC-126
SM UC-127
SM UC-128

References[]

Erich Gröner, Deutsche Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945, Vol III, pp. 62–4

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