SM UC-41

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-41.
History
German Empire
NameUC-41
Ordered20 November 1915[1]
BuilderAG Vulcan, Hamburg[2]
Yard number74[1]
Launched13 September 1916[1]
Commissioned11 October 1916[1]
FateSunk by own mine, 21 August 1917[1]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType UC II submarine
Displacement
  • 400 t (390 long tons), surfaced
  • 480 t (470 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
  • 11.7 knots (21.7 km/h; 13.5 mph), surfaced
  • 6.7 knots (12.4 km/h; 7.7 mph), submerged
Range
  • 9,410 nmi (17,430 km; 10,830 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced
  • 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement26
Armament
Notes48-second diving time
Service record
Part of:
  • I Flotilla
  • 18 December 1916 – 21 August 1917
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Kurt Bernis[4]
  • 11 October 1916 – 4 August 1917
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans Förste[5]
  • 5 – 21 August 1917
Operations: 7 patrols
Victories:
  • 15 merchant ships sunk
    (18,870 GRT)
  • 2 auxiliary warships sunk
    (375 GRT)
  • 2 merchant ships damaged
    (1,232 GRT)

SM UC-41 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 20 November 1915 and was launched on 13 September 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 October 1916 as SM UC-41.[Note 1]

In a nine-month career that encompassed seven patrols UC-41 was credited with sinking 17 ships totaling 19,245 GRT, either by torpedo or by mines laid. The writer David Masters attributed the sinking of the two tiny naval fishing smacks Nelson and Ethel & Millie to UC-41 during an engagement on 15 August 1917. However this was actually UC-63, the logs of which record the event.

UC-41 was lost on 21 August 1917 after suffering an unexplained internal explosion of one of her mines which forced her to suddenly rise to the surface in the Tay estuary, where she was spotted by British naval trawlers and depth charged, killing all 27 German sailors and possibly seven British prisoners of war as well. Her wreck was rediscovered in 2003.

  1. ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 41". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 173.
  3. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 31–32.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Kurt Bernis". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hans Förste". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2015.


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