"UC-3" redirects here. For other uses, see UC3 (disambiguation).
For other ships named German submarine U-3, see German submarine U-3 (disambiguation).
UC-3
CountryGerman Empire
OrderedNovember 1914[1]
BuilderAG Vulcan, Hamburg[2]
Yard number47[1]
Launched28 May 1915[1]
Commissioned1 June 1915[1]
Fate
  • Sunk 23 April 1916[3]
  • Sunk 27 May 1916[1]
SM UC-3
ClassType UC I submarine
Displacement
  • 168 t (165 long tons), surfaced
  • 183 t (180 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Draft3.04 m (10 ft)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 6.20 knots (11.48 km/h; 7.13 mph), surfaced
  • 5.22 knots (9.67 km/h; 6.01 mph), submerged
Range
  • 780 nmi (1,440 km; 900 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
  • 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement14
Armament
  • 6 × 100 cm (39 in) mine tubes
  • 12 × UC 120 mines
  • 1 × 8 mm (0.31 in) machine gun
SM UC-3
Partof
  • Flandern Flotilla
  • 30 June 1915 – 23 April / 27 May 1916
Commanders
  • Kptlt. Erwin Weisbach[4]
  • 1 June – 26 September 1915
  • Oblt.z.S. Erwin Waßner[5]
  • 27 September 1915 – 12 May 1916
  • Oblt.z.S. Günther Kreysern[6]
  • 13 – 27 May 1916[dubious – discuss]
Operations29 patrols
Victories
  • 16 merchant ships sunk
    ()
  • 6 auxiliary warships sunk
    ()
  • 2 merchant ships damaged
    ()

SM UC-3 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 28 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 1 June 1915 as UC-3.[Note 1] Mines laid by UC-3 in her 29 patrols were credited with sinking 22 ships and damaging 2 others. UC-3 was caught in a net, detected by hydrophone, and sunk on 23 April 1916 or mined and sunk on 27 May 1916.[3][1]

Design

A Type UC I submarine, UC-3 had a displacement of 168 tonnes (165 long tons) when at the surface and 183 tonnes (180 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 33.99 m (111 ft 6 in), a beam of 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in), and a draught of 3.04 m (10 ft). The submarine was powered by one Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine producing 90 metric horsepower (66 kW; 89 hp), an electric motor producing 175 metric horsepower (129 kW; 173 hp), and one propeller shaft. She was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft).[7]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 6.20 knots (11.48 km/h; 7.13 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 5.22 knots (9.67 km/h; 6.01 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 780 nautical miles (1,440 km; 900 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). UC-3 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, twelve UC 120 mines, and one 8 millimetres (0.31 in) machine gun. She was built by AG Vulcan Stettin and her complement was fourteen crew members.[7]

Fate

UC-3 was the first submarine to be detected and sunk using a hydrophone. UC-3's fate have different version: One is on 23 April 1916 she was detected using a hydrophone, trapped in a net, and then quickly sunk after a large explosion.[3] The ship that sank her was the anti-submarine trawler Cheerio, captained by Thomson.[8] Another is on 27 May 1916, she got mined and sunk.[1]

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage[Note 2]Fate[9]
5 July 1915PeikNorway1,168Sunk
14 July 1915VividBelgium150Sunk
20 July 1915HMY Rhiannon137Sunk
21 July 1915HMT Briton196Sunk
12 September 1915AshmoreUnited Kingdom2,519Sunk
14 October 1915SalernoUnited Kingdom2,071Sunk
16 October 1915VolscianUnited Kingdom570Damaged
17 October 1915HMT Javelin205Sunk
25 October 1915SelmaNorway1,654Sunk
6 November 1915AlastairUnited Kingdom366Sunk
11 November 1915RhinelandUnited Kingdom1,501Sunk
17 November 1915UlrikenNorway2,379Sunk
29 November 1915HMS Duchess of Hamilton553Sunk
10 December 1915NereusNorway742Sunk
11 December 1915PinegroveUnited Kingdom2,847Sunk
18 December 1915NicoNorway712Sunk
21 December 1915HMS Lady Ismay495Sunk
27 December 1915HadleyUnited Kingdom1,777Sunk
14 January 1916BreslauUnited Kingdom1,339Damaged
18 January 1916Auvergne523Sunk
8 February 1916ArgoUnited Kingdom1,720Sunk
28 February 1916ThornabyUnited Kingdom1,782Sunk
26 May 1916DenewoodUnited Kingdom1,221Sunk
3 June 1916SS GolcondaUnited Kingdom5,874Sunk

Notes

  1. ^ "SM" stands for Seiner Majestäts (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the "U" for Unterseeboot translates as "His Majesty's Submarine".
  2. ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

References

  1. ^ UC+3. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 173.
  3. ^ Brodie, Bernard & Brodie, Fawn M. (1973). From Crossbow to H-bomb: the evolution of tactics and warfare. First Midland ed. Indiana University Press. p. 184. ISBN 0253201616. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. ^ 393. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  5. ^ 389. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  6. ^ 161. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  7. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 30–31.
  8. ^ Thomas, Lowell (July 1929). "Fighting the Submarine". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ^ uc3. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

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.
  • 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