SM UC-5
 UC-5 displayed in Central Park, New York | |
| Career (German Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | UC-5 |
| Ordered: | by November 1914[1] |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen[2] |
| Yard number: | 49[1] |
| Launched: | 13 June 1915[1] |
| Commissioned: | 19 June 1915[1] |
| Fate: | grounded, 27 April 1916; captured by the British[1] |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: | Imperial German Navy |
| Commanders: |
Herbert Pustkuchen Ulrich Mohrbutter |
| Operations: | 29 patrols |
| Victories: | 29 ships sunk for a total of 36.288 tons |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & 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 at 5 knots, surfaced[3] (1,690 km at 9.3 km/h) 50 nautical miles at 4 knots, submerged[3] (93 km at 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-5 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 13 June 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 19 June 1915 as SM UC-5.[Note 1] She served in World War I under the command of Herbert Pustkuchen (June 1915 - December 1915) and Ulrich Mohrbutter (December 1915 - April 1916).
Service
UC-5 had an impressive career, with 29 ships sunk for a total of 36,288 tons on 29 patrols. On August 21, 1915 UC-5 became the first submarine minelayer to penetrate into the English Channel, laying 12 mines off Boulogne, one of which sank the steamship William Dawson the same day. UC-5 went on to lay 6 more mines off Boulogne and Folkestone on 7 September, one of which sank the cable layer Monarch.[4]
Fate
UC-5 ran aground while on patrol 27 April 1916 at 51°59′N 1°38′E / 51.983°N 1.633°ECoordinates: 51°59′N 1°38′E / 51.983°N 1.633°E and was scuttled. Her crew were captured by HMS Firedrake and the submarine was displayed at Temple Pier on the Thames river and, later, in New York for propaganda purposes.[5]
Notes
- ↑ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC-5". U-Boat War in World War I. Uboat.net. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tarrant, p. 173.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Gardiner, p. 181.
- ↑ Gibson, R.H.; Maurice Prendergast (2002). The German Submarine War 1914-1918. Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 51. ISBN 1-904381-08-1.
- ↑ "The Flandern U-boat bases and U-Bootflottille Flandern by Johan Ryheul at U-boat.net". Retrieved 25 August 2008.
Bibliography
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8. OCLC 12119866.
- Stern, Robert C. (2002). Battle Beneath the Waves: U-boats at War. Cassell Military Paperbacks. ISBN 0-304-36228-X.
- 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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