UC-97 at Toronto, 1919
History
German Empire
NameUC-97
Ordered12 January 1916[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg[2]
Yard number331[1]
Launched17 March 1918[1]
Commissioned3 September 1918[1]
FateSurrendered, 22 November 1918; sunk as target in Lake Michigan, 7 June 1921[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeGerman Type UC III submarine
Displacement
  • 491 t (483 long tons), surfaced
  • 571 t (562 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam5.54 m (18 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Draft3.77 m (12 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
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 nautical miles (18,240 km; 11,340 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph), surfaced
  • 40 nmi (74 km; 46 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph), submerged
Test depth75 m (246 ft)
Complement32
Armament
Notes15-second diving time
Service record
Commanders:
  • Oblt. Walter Wiedemann[3]
  • 6 September – 11 November 1918
Operations: None
Victories: None

SM UC-97 was a German Type UC III minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I.

Design

A German Type UC III submarine, UC-97 had a displacement of 491 tonnes (483 long tons) when at the surface and 571 tonnes (562 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 56.51 m (185 ft 5 in), a beam of 5.54 m (18 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 300 metric horsepower (220 kW; 300 shp) (a total of 600 metric horsepower (440 kW; 590 shp)), two electric motors producing 770 metric horsepower (570 kW; 760 shp), and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 15 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 75 metres (246 ft).[4]

The submarine was designed for a maximum surface speed of 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) and a submerged speed of 6.6 knots (12.2 km/h; 7.6 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 9,850 nautical miles (18,240 km; 11,340 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). UC-97 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, fourteen UC 200 mines, three 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 or 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun . Her complement was twenty-six crew members.[4]

Construction

The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 17 March 1918. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 3 September 1918 as SM UC-97.[Note 1] As with the rest of the completed UC III boats, UC-97 conducted no war patrols and sank no ships.

United States Navy

She was surrendered on 22 November 1918 to the United States. UC-97 formed the Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force with SM U-111, SM U-117, SM U-140, SM U-164, and SM UB-88. Twelve United States Navy officers with 120 enlisted men were sent to England to sail the captured submarines of this expeditionary force across the Atlantic to be exhibited in the United States raising money for Liberty Bonds. UC-97 sailed from Harwich in April 1919 with U-111, U-164, and UB-88. The flotilla, escorted by USS Bushnell (AS-2), stopped in the Azores and Bermuda before reaching New York City. UC-97 sailed through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes under the command of Charles A. Lockwood. LCDR Lockwood spent the summer of 1919 coordinating port calls with mayors of cities on lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan. By late August, the submarine's unfamiliar German machinery was no longer responding reliably to Lockwood's crew. The commandant of the 9th Naval District assumed control of UC-97 as Lockwood with his crew left to assume command of USS R-25 (SS-102) being built at Bridgeport, Connecticut. UC-97 was moored at the foot of Monroe Street and opened to tourists in Chicago's lakefront Grant Park.[5]

Destruction

A clause of the armistice treaty required all German combat vessels held by Allied forces to be destroyed before 1 July 1921. All armament, propulsion machinery, and navigation gear were removed from UC-97 before she was towed out into Lake Michigan by USS Hawk (IX-14) for use as a target during the annual summer training of naval reservists living in the Midwestern United States. USS Wilmette fired 18 rounds from a 4 in (10 cm) gun in 15 minutes[5] to sink UC-97 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coast of Highland Park, Illinois on 7 June 1921.[1][6] The wreck of UC-97 has not been definitively located. It has been reported in a 2013 Toronto Star article that the U-boat was found in 1992 by the Chicago-based company A and T Recovery.[7][6]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 97". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Tarrant, p. 174.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Walter Wiedemann". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 Gröner 1991, pp. 34–35.
  5. 1 2 Wise, James E. (Winter 1989). "The Sinking of the UC-97". Naval History. United States Naval Institute. 3 (1): 13–14.
  6. 1 2 "WWI submarine has underwater Lake Michigan grave".
  7. ↑ However, the claim of its find has not been substantiated by any evidence to the present day. Ellison, Mark (26 June 2013). "Wharf a reminder of Toronto's transformed shoreline". Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.

Bibliography

  • Bendert, Harald (2001). Die UC-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918. Minenkrieg mit U-Booten (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0758-7.
  • 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.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8. OCLC 12119866.
  • Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.
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