SM UC-38
History | |
---|---|
German Empire | |
Name | UC-38 |
Ordered | 20 November 1915[1] |
Builder | |
Yard number | 279[1] |
Launched | 25 June 1916[1] |
Commissioned | 26 October 1916[1] |
Fate | Depth charged, 14 December 1917[1] |
General characteristics [3] | |
Class and type | Type UC II submarine |
Displacement |
|
Length |
|
Beam |
|
Draught | 3.65 m (12 ft) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Range |
|
Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
Complement | 26 |
Armament |
|
Notes | 35-second diving time |
Service record | |
Part of: |
|
Commanders: | |
Operations: | 9 patrols |
Victories: |
SM UC-38 was a German
Design
A
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 11.6 knots (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) and a submerged speed of 6.6 knots (12.2 km/h; 7.6 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 10,180 nautical miles (18,850 km; 11,710 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). UC-38 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, 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.[3]
Action off Cape Ducato
On 14 December 1917, by 38°15′N 20°22′E / 38.250°N 20.367°E, under Hans Hermann Wendlandt,
Back to
UC-38 surfaced briefly and was immediately targeted by the guns of Mameluk, which continued her attack by launching several depth charges. UC-38 surfaced again, and this time both Mameluk and Lansquenet opened fire, hitting her several times and killing several of her crew as they exited. She sank at 8:40, and the French destroyers picked up the survivors.[7][8]
German sources claim that 25 men were rescued and 9 killed; a sailor of UC-38 claimed that 20 men were saved out of a 28-man crew; French enquiry reports 20 rescued and 5 confirmed dead out of a 27-man crew.[7]
Sinking
Sir Ronald Ross, first British Nobel laureate for his discovery of the malaria vector, embarked aboard the cruiser Châteaurenault at Taranto, Italy, on 13 December 1917 on his way to Salonika. Ross recounts the moment the SM UC-38 was destroyed in his 1923 memoirs:
"Suddenly all the soldiers began pointing in one direction and one behind me said ‘Voyez monsieur’. There, 200 yards from us, was the deck of an emerging submarine. She had been touched by one of our depth-charges. Her crew were jumping off her deck into the sea, one after the other, as fast as they could like frogs. In another minute a storm of shells and shot ploughed up the water round her. The our captain yelled out ‘Asseyez vous’. We were going to fire off our own big gun...Our shell took effect; up rose the stern of the submarine and then slowly down she slid, as her victim had done, leaving a number of pink heads dotting the water – Boches clamouring to be saved. A Frenchman near me was handing round pistols to shoot at them, but our captain promptly stopped that. Boats went out and rescued 18 of the German crew; they came aboard naked and shivering but happy! For some reason we were all happy together."[9]
Summary of raiding history
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 2] | Fate[10] |
---|---|---|---|---|
16 February 1917 | Laertis | Greece | 3,914 | Sunk |
19 February 1917 | Quinto | Kingdom of Italy | 1,796 | Sunk |
20 February 1917 | Doravore | Norway | 2,760 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | Adelina | Kingdom of Italy | 528 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | Ape | Kingdom of Italy | 301 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | Giovanni P. | Kingdom of Italy | 105 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | Michielino | Kingdom of Italy | 20 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | San Michele | Kingdom of Italy | 583 | Sunk |
22 February 1917 | Vincenzino | Kingdom of Italy | 20 | Sunk |
24 February 1917 | Albina | Kingdom of Italy | 187 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | Elena M. | Kingdom of Italy | 125 | Sunk |
27 February 1917 | S. Ciro Palmerino | Kingdom of Italy | 113 | Sunk |
24 March 1917 | Emanuela | Kingdom of Italy | 16 | Sunk |
31 March 1917 | Brodness | United Kingdom | 5,736 | Sunk |
1 April 1917 | Warren | United Kingdom | 3,709 | Sunk |
2 April 1917 | Filicudi | Regia Marina | 257 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Annunziata A | Kingdom of Italy | 206 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Caterina R. | Kingdom of Italy | 214 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Domenico | Kingdom of Italy | 260 | Sunk |
3 April 1917 | Nuova Maria Di Porto Salvo | Kingdom of Italy | 48 | Sunk |
12 April 1917 | Monviso | Kingdom of Italy | 4,020 | Damaged |
13 June 1917 | St. Andrews | United Kingdom | 3,613 | Sunk |
15 June 1917 | Elvaston | United Kingdom | 4,130 | Damaged |
15 June 1917 | Pasha | United Kingdom | 5,930 | Sunk |
15 June 1917 | Saint Louis V | France | 5,202 | Damaged |
12 July 1917 | Grace | United States | 1,861 | Sunk |
15 July 1917 | L.B.S. 1011 | Greece | 20 | Sunk |
15 July 1917 | L.B.S. 29 | Greece | 10 | Sunk |
15 July 1917 | HMS Redbreast | Royal Navy | 1,313 | Sunk |
16 July 1917 | Firfield | United Kingdom | 4,029 | Sunk |
16 July 1917 | Unidentified Sailing Vessel | Greece | 20 | Sunk |
17 July 1917 | HMS Newmarket | Royal Navy | 833 | Sunk |
18 July 1917 | K.507 | Greece | 40 | Sunk |
28 August 1917 | Pasqualino Carmela | Kingdom of Italy | 61 | Sunk |
28 August 1917 | Scilla | Kingdom of Italy | 397 | Sunk |
29 August 1917 | Vronwen | United Kingdom | 5,714 | Sunk |
22 September 1917 | Garifaglia | Greece | 430 | Sunk |
23 September 1917 | Agios Nicolaos | Greece | 119 | Sunk |
3 November 1917 | Nefeli | Greece | 3,868 | Sunk |
7 November 1917 | Villemer | United States | 3,627 | Sunk |
11 November 1917 | HMS M15 | Royal Navy | 540 | Sunk |
11 November 1917 | HMS Staunch | Royal Navy | 750 | Sunk |
14 November 1917 | Panormitis | Greece | 20 | Sunk |
14 November 1917 | Panaghia | Greece | 14 | Sunk |
6 December 1917 | Tubereuse | French Navy | 183 | Sunk |
14 December 1917 | Châteaurenault | French Navy | 8,018 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- ^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
- gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 38". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ Tarrant, p. 173.
- ^ a b c Gröner 1991, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Albrecht von Dewitz". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Alfred Klatt". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Hermann Wendlandt (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d "UC-38". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
- ^ a b c d "Chateaurenault". Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ Ross, Sir Ronald (1923). Memoirs with a full account of the Great Malaria Problem and its Solution. London: John Murray. p. 521.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UC 38". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 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. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. OCLC 12119866.
- Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 20338385.