UC 97

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UC 97
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Photo of the UC 97 in the harbor
Starboard view of SM UC 97 (unknown port)
Type : UC III
Shipyard: Blohm & Voss , Hamburg
Keel laying: December 10, 1917
Launch: March 17, 1918
Commissioning: September 3, 1918
Commanders:
  • Lt. Cmdr. Holbrook Gibson
  • Lt. Cmdr. Charles A. Lockwood
Calls: 0 patrols
Sinkings:

no

Whereabouts: 22nd November 1918 to the USA
7th June 1921 sunk as a target ship.

SM UC 97 was a UC III class submarine miner of the Imperial German Navy .

Technical specifications

  • Displacement: 491 t (surfaced), 571 t (submerged)
  • Length: 56.51 m
  • Width: 5.54 m
  • Height: 3.77 m
  • Speed: 11.5 kn (surfaced), 6.6 kn (submerged)
  • Crew: 32 men
  • Armament: 3 torpedo tubes (2 bow, 1 stern) 50 cm, 1 × 8.8 cm deck gun, 6 mine tubes with 14 mines

history

The keel was laid in Hamburg on December 10, 1917 at Blohm & Voss , the launch on March 17, 1918. Due to the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918, the boat was no longer put into service with the Imperial Navy.

US spoils of war

The USA was very interested in new knowledge about German submarine technology and in exhibits for their victory celebrations. In early 1919 UC 97 was handed over to the United States with five other submarines. Under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Holbrook Gibson, the director of the US Navy Yard Philadelphia, began the transfer of UB 88 , U 117 , UB 148 and UC 97 on April 3, 1919 . The price command could not put the machine into operation immediately, so that UC 97 initially had to be towed by the USS Bushnell (submarine tender No. 2). Only on the high seas did the crew manage to start the diesel.

UC 97 in Toronto (1920)

The small fleet was named "Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force". She drove through the Azores and Bermuda to New York, where she arrived on April 27th. The boats generated great interest and were visited by a large number of tourists. This was followed by a campaign for war bonds and UC 97 was ordered to the Great Lakes . Many ports were visited there and the boat was exhibited again. Machine problems ended the tour at the end of August and UC 97 drove to the Chicago shipyard. The ship was handed over to the Commander of the 9th Naval District and dismantled and examined by 1921.

Analysis by Lt. Cmdr. Holbrook Gibson

The analysis of the German submarines in August 1920 by the head of the US Naval Shipyard Philadelphia, Lt. Cdr. Holbrook Gibson, revealed that the German submarines were so vastly superior to those of the US Navy in terms of design, workmanship, etc. that publication of the test results could not be in the public interest, especially since these investigations reflect the technical status of German submarines. Boats from 1917 - and thus three years before the report - reflected.

Sinking

After all valuable components (armament, propulsion, navigation equipment) had been dismantled, UC 97 was towed by the Hawk onto Lake Michigan on June 7, 1921 to serve as a target ship. The Wilmette , a training ship of the Navy Reserve, was to carry out the sinking. After 13 shots, ten of which hit, the submarine sank within 10 minutes.

The wreck was rediscovered in 1992, but the location was initially kept secret. It is located at a depth of 80 m at 42 ° 10 ′  N , 87 ° 20 ′  W , 20 miles east of Highland Park .

literature

  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships , Vol. VII, pp. 384-385.
  • Charles A. Lockwood, Vice Admiral, USN (ret.): Down to the Sea in Subs
  • History of Engineering During The World War . Navy Department

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ Charles A. Lockwood in the English language Wikipedia
  2. ^ Gary E. Weir, Dean C. Allard: Building American Submarines, 1914-1940
  3. ^ Dwight Boyer: True Tales of the Great Lakes