SM UC-54

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-54.
Career (German Empire)
Name: UC-54
Ordered: 12 January 1916[1]
Builder: Germaniawerft, Kiel[2]
Yard number: 270[1]
Launched: 20 March 1917[1]
Commissioned: 10 May 1917[1]
Fate: scuttled at Trieste, October 1918[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:German Type UC II submarine
Displacement:434 t (478 short tons), surfaced[2]
511 t (563 short tons), submerged
Length:172 ft 11 in (52.71 m)[2]
Beam:17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)[2]
Draft:12 ft 2 in (4 m)[3]
Propulsion:2 × propeller shafts
2 × 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engines, 500 bhp (370 kW)[3]
2 × electric motors, 460 shp (340 kW)[3]
Speed:11.8 knots (21.9 km/h), surfaced[2]
7.2 knots (13.3 km/h), submerged
Endurance:9,450 nautical miles at 7 knots, surfaced[3]
(17,500 km at 13 km/h)
56 nautical miles at 4 knots, submerged[3]
(104 km at 7.4 km/h)
Test depth:50 m (160 ft)[3]
Complement:26[3]
Armament:6 × 100 cm (39.4 in) mine tubes[3]
18 × UC 200 mines
3 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 bow/external; one stern)
7 × torpedoes
1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) KL/30 deck gun[2]
Notes:30-second diving time[2]
Service record
Part of: Pola Flotilla
28 Jul 1917 - 28 Oct 1918
Commanders: Kptlt Heinrich XXXVII Prinz Reuß zu Köstritz[4]
10 May 1917 - 21 May 1918
Oblt Otto Loycke[5]
22 May 1918 - 28 Oct 1918
Operations: 8 patrols
Victories: 16 merchant ships sunk (42,970 GRT)
3 merchant ships damaged (12,766 GRT)
2 warships sunk (9,595 tons)

SM UC-54 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 20 March 1917. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 10 May 1917 as SM UC-54.[Note 1] In 8 patrols UC-54 was credited with sinking 18 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-54 was scuttled at Trieste on 28 October 1918 on the surrender of Austria-Hungary.[1]

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[6]
4 July 1917 Hurstside  United Kingdom 3,149 Sunk
12 July 1917 Maija  Russian Empire 164 Sunk
13 July 1917 Loanda  Portugal 141 Sunk
26 July 1917 Roberto Ivens  Portugal 281 Sunk
7 September 1917 Myrmidon  United Kingdom 4,965 Damaged
29 January 1918 Tosho Maru  Japan 3,038 Sunk
2 February 1918 Esterel  Kingdom of Italy 238 Sunk
2 February 1918 Ida  Kingdom of Italy 63 Sunk
6 February 1918 Glenartney  United Kingdom 7,263 Sunk
14 March 1918 Ardandearg  United Kingdom 3,237 Sunk
27 March 1918 Carlo P.  Kingdom of Italy 61 Sunk
3 April 1918 Sylvie  France 2,148 Sunk
3 May 1918 Pancras  United Kingdom 4,436 Damaged
11 May 1918 Sant Anna  French Navy 9,350 Sunk
12 May 1918 Vimeira  United Kingdom 5,884 Sunk
16 May 1918 Marie Frederique  French Navy 245 Sunk
13 July 1918 Ponta Delgada  Portugal 3,381 Sunk
19 July 1918 Australien  France 6,377 Sunk
19 July 1918 Polperro  United Kingdom 3,365 Damaged
4 September 1918 Arum  United Kingdom 3,681 Sunk
23 September 1918 Edlington  United Kingdom 3,864 Sunk

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.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC-54". U-Boat War in World War I. Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Tarrant, p. 173.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Gardiner, p. 182.
  4. ↑ "Heinrich XXXVII Prinz Reuß zu Köstritz". Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Otto Loycke". Uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "SM UC-54 successes". UBoat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2015.

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.
  • Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.