For other ships named German submarine U-16, see German submarine U-16 (disambiguation).
UC-16
CountryGerman Empire
Ordered29 August 1915[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg[2]
Yard number266[1]
Launched1 February 1916[1]
Commissioned18 June 1916[1]
FateProbably sunk by mine in 4 October 1917[1]
SM UC-16
ClassType UC II submarine
Displacement
  • 417 t (410 long tons), surfaced
  • 493 t (485 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam
  • 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 3.65 m (12 ft) pressure hull
Draught3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 11.6 knots (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph), surfaced
  • 7.0 knots (13.0 km/h; 8.1 mph), submerged
Range
  • 9,430 nautical miles (17,460 km; 10,850 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph), surfaced
  • 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph), submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement26
Armament
Notes35-second diving time
SM UC-16
Partof
  • Flandern / Flandern I Flotilla
  • 11 September 1916 – 4 October 1917
Commanders
  • Oblt.z.S. Egon von Werner[3]
  • 26 June 1916 – 22 April 1917
  • Oblt.z.S. Georg Reimarus[4]
  • 15 July – 4 October 1917
Operations13 patrols
Victories
  • 43 merchant ships sunk
    ()
  • 4 merchant ships damaged
    ()
  • 2 auxiliary warships damaged
    ()

SM UC-16 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 29 August 1915 and was launched on 1 February 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 18 June 1916 as SM UC-16.[Note 1] In 13 patrols UC-16 was credited with sinking 43 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-16 disappeared in October 1917. A postwar German study concluded that UC-16 probably sank after striking a mine off Zeebrugge[1]

Design

Like all pre-UC-25 Type UC II submarines, UC-16 had a displacement of 417 tonnes (410 long tons) when at the surface and 493 tonnes (485 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 49.35 m (161 ft 11 in), beam of 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.65 m (12 ft). The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 500 metric horsepower (370 kW; 490 hp) (a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 hp)), two electric motors producing 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 hp), and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 35 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft).[5]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 11.6 knots (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) and a submerged speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 9,430 nautical miles (17,460 km; 10,850 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). UC-16 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes,[5] eighteen UC 200 mines, three 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.[5]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage[Note 2]Fate[6]
23 September 1916AndromedaUnited Kingdom149Sunk
23 September 1916BeechwoldUnited Kingdom129Sunk
23 September 1916Britannia IIIUnited Kingdom138Sunk
23 September 1916CockatriceUnited Kingdom115Sunk
23 September 1916MercuryUnited Kingdom183Sunk
23 September 1916PhoenixUnited Kingdom117Sunk
23 September 1916RefinoUnited Kingdom182Sunk
23 September 1916RegoUnited Kingdom176Sunk
23 September 1916RestlessUnited Kingdom125Sunk
23 September 1916ViellaUnited Kingdom144Sunk
23 September 1916WeelsbyUnited Kingdom122Sunk
19 October 1916RMS AlauniaUnited Kingdom13,405Sunk
22 October 1916FortunaNetherlands1,254Sunk
11 November 1916DaphneNorway1,388Sunk
11 November 1916VeronicaUnited Kingdom27Sunk
13 November 1916Marie ThereseFrance156Sunk
14 November 1916N.D. De Bon SecoursFrance81Sunk
14 November 1916NominoeFrance327Sunk
14 November 1916SalanganeFrance125Sunk
16 November 1916LeliaFrance79Sunk
16 November 1916VascoUnited Kingdom1,914Sunk
26 November 1916CaloricNorway7,012Damaged
28 December 1916SuffolkUnited Kingdom7,573Damaged
30 December 1916AspenleafUnited Kingdom7,535Damaged
18 January 1917TaorminaKingdom of Italy2,457Sunk
19 January 1917AnnaNorway1,237Sunk
19 January 1917ReinungaNorway1,147Sunk
19 January 1917TheresdalNorway1,762Sunk
21 January 1917CouronneFrance169Sunk
22 January 1917JunoNetherlands2,345Damaged
23 January 1917YmerNorway1,123Sunk
15 February 1917LevenUnited Kingdom775Sunk
26 February 1917Sea GullUnited Kingdom144Sunk
26 February 1917HMT St. Germain307Damaged
15 March 1917CoonaghUnited Kingdom1,412Sunk
20 April 1917HMS Glen112Damaged
27 July 1917DirkNetherlands81Sunk
27 July 1917Dirk van DuyneNetherlands116Sunk
27 July 1917JanNetherlands104Sunk
27 July 1917Majoor ThomsonNetherlands110Sunk
27 July 1917President Commissaris van den BurghNetherlands111Sunk
27 July 1917Sterna IIINetherlands111Sunk
28 July 1917Neptunus INetherlands80Sunk
16 August 1917Manchester EngineerUnited Kingdom4,465Sunk
17 August 1917SusieUnited Kingdom41Sunk
18 August 1917ArdensUnited Kingdom1,274Sunk
4 September 1917BishopstonUnited Kingdom2,513Sunk
7 September 1917HinemoaUnited Kingdom2,283Sunk
7 September 1917VestfjeldNorway2,063Sunk

References

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.
  2. ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. ^ UC+16. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 173.
  3. ^ 399. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  4. ^ 264. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  5. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 31–32.
  6. ^ uc16. Retrieved 9 February 2015.

Bibliography

  • Bendert, Harald (2001). Die UC-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918. Minenkrieg mit U-Booten (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0758-7.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. German Warships 1815–1945. Translated by Thomas, Keith & Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. 1985. 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