SM UC-73

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-73.
Career (German Empire)
Name: UC-73
Ordered: 12 January 1916[1]
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg[2]
Yard number: 289[1]
Launched: 26 August 1916[1]
Commissioned: 24 December 1916[1]
Fate: surrendered, January 1919; broken up, 1919–20[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
Part of: Pola Flotilla
6 Jun 1917 - 11 Nov 1918
Commanders: Kptlt Kurt Schapler[4]
24 Dec 1916 - 26 Nov 1917
Oblt Walter Wiedemann[5]
27 Nov 1917 - 29 May 1918
Oblt Otto Gerke[6]
30 May 1918 - 14 Jul 1918
Oblt Franz Hagen[7]
15 Jul 1918 - 2 Dec 1918
Operations: 10 patrols
Victories: 16 merchant ships sunk (16,565 GRT)
1 merchant ship damaged (5,796 GRT)

SM UC-73 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 26 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 24 December 1916 as SM UC-73.[Note 1] In 10 patrols UC-73 was credited with sinking 9 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-73 was surrendered on 6 January 1919 and broken up at Brighton Ferry in 1919–20.[1]

Summary of Raiding Career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[8]
1 May 1917 Imberhorne  Finland 2,042 Sunk
3 May 1917 Mezly  France 1,568 Sunk
3 May 1917 Misurata  Kingdom of Italy 2,691 Sunk
26 May 1917 Agragas  Kingdom of Italy 850 Sunk
31 May 1917 Rosebank  United Kingdom 3,837 Sunk
28 August 1917 Saint Joseph  France 5,796 Damaged
7 October 1917 Georgios  Greece 560 Sunk
14 October 1917 Lido G.  Kingdom of Italy 1,003 Sunk
28 December 1917 Dauno  Kingdom of Italy 455 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (1 of 7)  Greece 18 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (2 of 7)  Greece 18 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (3 of 7)  Greece 18 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (4 of 7)  Greece 18 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (5 of 7)  Greece 5 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (6 of 7)  Greece 5 Sunk
29 March 1918 Unidentified sailing vessel (7 of 7)  Greece 5 Sunk
8 July 1918 Horta  Portugal 3,472 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-73". 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. ↑ "Kurt Schapler". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Walter Wiedemann". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Otto Gerke". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Franz Hagen". Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "SM UC-73 successes". UBoat.net. Retrieved 4 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.