SM UC-71

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-71.
Career (German Empire)
Name: UC-71
Ordered: 12 January 1916[1]
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg[2]
Yard number: 287[1]
Launched: 12 August 1916[1]
Commissioned: 28 November 1916[1]
Fate: sunk on way to surrender, February 1919[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:German Type UC II submarine
Displacement:427 t (471 short tons), surfaced[2]
508 t (560 short tons), submerged
Length:165 ft 2 in (50.34 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:12.0 knots (22.2 km/h), surfaced[2]
7.4 knots (13.7 km/h), submerged
Endurance:10,420 nautical miles at 7 knots, surfaced[3]
(19,300 km at 13 km/h)
52 nautical miles at 4 knots, submerged[3]
(96 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:35-second diving time[2]
Service record[4]
Part of: Flandern II Flotilla
3 Mar 1917 – 13 Oct 1918
I Flotilla
13 Oct 1918 – 11 Nov 1918
Commanders: Oblt Hans Valentiner[5]
28 Nov 1916 - 25 Apr 1917
Oblt Hugo Thielmann[6]
26 Apr 1917 – 9 Jun 1917
Oblt Reinhold Saltzwedel[7]
10 Jun 1917 – 13 Sep 1917
Oblt Ernst Steindorff[8]
14 Sep 1917 – 28 Jan 1918
Oblt Walter Warzecha[9]
29 Jan 1918 – 13 Aug 1918
Oblt Eberhard Schmidt[10]
14 Aug 1918 – 11 Nov 1918
Operations: 19 patrols
Victories: 61 merchant ships sunk (107,540 GRT)
17 merchant ships damaged (74,089 GRT)
2 warships sunk (3,210 tons)
1 warship damaged (1,250 tons)

SM UC-71 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 12 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 November 1916 as SM UC-71.[Note 1] In 19 patrols UC-71 was credited with sinking 61 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-71 sank on 20 February 1919 in the North Sea while on her way to be surrendered.[1]

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[11]
30 March 1917 Edernian  United Kingdom 3,588 Damaged
30 March 1917 Saint Louis III  France 97 Sunk
30 March 1917 Sarcelle  France 49 Sunk
31 March 1917 Primrose  United Kingdom 113 Sunk
3 April 1917 Ellen James  United Kingdom 165 Sunk
4 April 1917 Pensiero  Kingdom of Italy 2,632 Sunk
5 April 1917 Gower Coast  United Kingdom 804 Sunk
5 April 1917 San Fulgencio  Spain 1,558 Sunk
7 April 1917 Caminha  Portugal 2,763 Sunk
9 April 1917 Themistoclis  Greece 1,895 Sunk
9 April 1917 Valhall  Norway 750 Sunk
10 April 1917 Ranvik  Norway 5,848 Sunk
12 April 1917 Edelweiss  France 192 Sunk
18 April 1917 Heim  Norway 1,669 Sunk
23 April 1917 Cenobic  Belgium 16 Sunk
2 May 1917 Westland  Netherlands 108 Sunk
5 May 1917 Simon  Netherlands 150 Sunk
15 May 1917 Boreas  Netherlands 192 Sunk
16 May 1917 Hendrika Johana  Netherlands 134 Sunk
17 May 1917 Jakoba  Netherlands 107 Sunk
17 May 1917 Mercurius  Netherlands 80 Sunk
18 May 1917 Annetta  Netherlands 177 Sunk
14 June 1917 Wega  United Kingdom 839 Sunk
15 June 1917 Wapello  United Kingdom 5,576 Sunk
26 June 1917 Normandy  France 543 Damaged
28 June 1917 Marne  France 4,019 Sunk
29 June 1917 Driskos  Greece 2,833 Sunk
3 July 1917 Orleans  United States 2,853 Sunk
4 July 1917 Snetoppen  Norway 2,349 Sunk
6 July 1917 Løvstakken  Norway 3,105 Sunk
6 July 1917 Victoria 2  Norway 2,798 Sunk
8 July 1917 Vendee  United Kingdom 1,295 Sunk
3 August 1917 Aube  United Kingdom 1,837 Sunk
4 August 1917 Afrique  France 2,457 Damaged
4 August 1917 Cairnstrath  United Kingdom 2,128 Sunk
7 August 1917 Port Curtis  United Kingdom 4,710 Sunk
8 August 1917 HMS Dunraven  Royal Navy 3,117 Sunk
6 September 1917 Elisabethville  Belgium 7,017 Sunk
7 September 1917 Mont de Piete  France 38 Sunk
7 September 1917 Kleber  France 277 Damaged
8 September 1917 Setubal  Norway 1,201 Sunk
9 September 1917 HMS Myosotis  Royal Navy 1,250 Damaged
10 September 1917 Vikholmen  Norway 494 Sunk
22 September 1917 Matti  Norway 2,139 Damaged
22 September 1917 Trongate  United Kingdom 2,553 Sunk
23 September 1917 Hornsund  United Kingdom 3,646 Sunk
24 September 1917 Leka  Norway 1,845 Sunk
31 October 1917 Estrellano  United Kingdom 1,161 Sunk
5 November 1917 Alcedo  United States 983 Sunk
16 November 1917 Naalso  France 135 Sunk
6 December 1917 Apley  United Kingdom 222 Sunk
6 December 1917 Wyndhurst  United Kingdom 570 Sunk
6 December 1917 Braeside  United Kingdom 569 Sunk
24 December 1917 Luciston  United Kingdom 2,877 Sunk
25 December 1917 Espagne  Belgium 1,463 Sunk
25 December 1917 Hyacinthus  United Kingdom 5,756 Damaged
27 December 1917 P. L. M. 4  France 2,640 Sunk
28 December 1917 Fallodon  United Kingdom 3,012 Sunk
28 December 1917 HMD Piscatorial II  Royal Navy 93 Sunk
29 December 1917 Sapper  United Kingdom 276 Sunk
18 January 1918 Gambri  United Kingdom 274 Sunk
20 January 1918 Harmonides  United Kingdom 3,521 Damaged
23 January 1918 Aalesund  Norway 414 Sunk
14 February 1918 Atlas  United Kingdom 3,090 Sunk
19 February 1918 Athenic  United Kingdom 4,078 Damaged
19 February 1918 Commonwealth  United Kingdom 3,353 Sunk
8 March 1918 Saba  United Kingdom 4,257 Damaged
12 March 1918 Clarissa Radcliffe  United Kingdom 5,754 Damaged
12 March 1918 Savan  United Kingdom 4,264 Damaged
13 March 1918 Londonier  Belgium 1,870 Sunk
14 March 1918 Agate  United Kingdom 248 Sunk
14 March 1918 Comrie Castle  United Kingdom 5,173 Damaged
7 April 1918 Highland Brigade  United Kingdom 5,669 Sunk
12 April 1918 Luis  United Kingdom 4,284 Sunk
10 May 1918 Amplegarth  United Kingdom 3,707 Sunk
15 May 1918 Pennyworth  United Kingdom 5,388 Damaged
20 May 1918 Manchester Importer  United Kingdom 4,028 Damaged
26 June 1918 Raranga  United Kingdom 10,040 Damaged
31 July 1918 City of Liverpool  United Kingdom 88 Sunk
4 August 1918 Waipara  United Kingdom 6,994 Damaged
5 August 1918 Polescar  United Kingdom 5,832 Damaged

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-71". 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. ↑ "The Type UC II boat SM UC-71 - German U-boats of WWI - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hans Valentiner (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Hugo Thielmann". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Reinhold Saltzwedel (Pour le Mérite)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ernst Steindorff (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Walter Warzecha (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Eberhard Schmidt". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "SM UC-71 successes". UBoat.net. Retrieved 10 December 2014.

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.


Coordinates: 54°10′N 7°54′E / 54.167°N 7.900°E