| Career (German Empire) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | UC-12 |
| Ordered: | 23 November 1914[1] |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen[2] |
| Yard number: | 226[1] |
| Laid down: | 27 January 1915[1] |
| Launched: | 29 April 1915[1] |
| Commissioned: | 2 May 1915[1] |
| Fate: | sunk by own mine, 16 March 1916[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | German Type UC I submarine |
| Displacement: | 168 t (185 short tons), surfaced[2] 182 t (201 short tons), submerged |
| Length: | 111 ft 6 in (33.99 m)[3] |
| Beam: | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)[3] |
| Draft: | 10 ft (3 m)[3] |
| Propulsion: | 1 × propeller shaft 1 × Benz 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine, 90 bhp (67 kW)[3] 1 × electric motor, 175 shp (130 kW)[3] |
| Speed: | 6.49 knots (12.02 km/h), surfaced[2] 5.67 knots (10.50 km/h), submerged |
| Endurance: | 910 nautical miles @ 5 knots, surfaced[3] (1,690 km @ 9.3 km/h) 50 nautical miles @ 4 knots, submerged[3] (93 km @ 7.4 km/h) |
| Test depth: | 50 m (160 ft)[3] |
| Complement: | 14[3] |
| Armament: | 6 × 100 cm (39 in) mine tubes[3] 12 × UC 120 mines 1 × 8 mm (0.31 in) machine gun[2] |
SM UC-12 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I.
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The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 27 January 1915, and was launched on 29 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 May 1915 as SM UC-12.[Note 1]
UC-12 served with the Pola Flotilla based at Cattaro in the Adriatic. She operated as a minelayer, and undertook seven patrols in this role. Mines laid by UC-12 were credited with sinking six ships. One of these, the Italian Marechiaro sunk on 21 February 1916, was listed as a hospital ship and sank with over 200 casualties.[4] Since Germany was not at war with Italy at this stage, though Austria was, UC 12, like other German U-boats in the Mediterranean, operated under the Austro-Hungarian flag.
On 16 March 1916 UC-12 was sunk by the detonation of one of her own mines while laying a mine fields off Taranto harbour. Italian divers inspected the wreck and established its identity. The knowledge that Germany, technically their ally, was assiduously mining their naval bases was a contributing factor in Italy’s decision in May 1916 to declare war on Germany[5]. The submarine was raised by Italy and commissioned as X-1 in the Italian Royal Navy.[1]
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