SM UC-71

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-71.
History
German Empire
NameUC-71
Ordered12 January 1916[1]
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg[2]
Yard number287[1]
Launched12 August 1916[1]
Commissioned28 November 1916[1]
FateSunk on way to surrender, 20 February 1919[1]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType UC II submarine
Displacement
  • 427 t (420 long tons), surfaced
  • 508 t (500 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam
  • 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 3.65 m (12 ft) pressure hull
Draught3.64 m (11 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 12.0 knots (22.2 km/h; 13.8 mph), surfaced
  • 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph), submerged
Range
  • 10,420 nmi (19,300 km; 11,990 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced
  • 52 nmi (96 km; 60 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement26
Armament
Notes35-second diving time
Service record[1]
Part of:
  • Flandern / Flandern II Flotilla
  • 3 March 1917 – 13 October 1918
  • I Flotilla
  • 13 October – 11 November 1918
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans Valentiner[4]
  • 28 November 1916 – 25 April 1917
  • Oblt.z.S. Hugo Thielmann[5]
  • 26 April – 9 June 1917
  • Oblt.z.S. Reinhold Saltzwedel[6]
  • 10 June – 13 September 1917
  • Oblt.z.S. Ernst Steindorff[7]
  • 14 September 1917 – 28 January 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Walter Warzecha[8]
  • 29 January – 13 August 1918
  • Oblt.z.S. Eberhard Schmidt[9]
  • 14 August – 11 November 1918
Operations: 19 patrols
Victories:
  • 53 merchant ships sunk
    (105,217 GRT)
  • 10 auxiliary warships sunk
    (5,533 GRT)
  • 16 merchant ships damaged
    (73,546 GRT)
  • 1 warship damaged
    (1,250 tons)
  • 1 auxiliary warship damaged
    (543 GRT)

SM UC-71 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 12 January 1916 and was launched on 12 August 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 November 1916 as SM UC-71.[Note 1] In 19 patrols UC-71 was credited with sinking 63 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-71 sank on 20 February 1919 in the North Sea while on her way to be surrendered.[1] Discovery a century later of her wreck with all hatches open suggested she had been deliberately scuttled by her own crew (all of whom survived).[10]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 71". 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: Hans Valentiner (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Hugo Thielmann". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Reinhold Saltzwedel (Pour le Mérite)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Ernst Steindorff (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  8. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Walter Warzecha (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  9. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Eberhard Schmidt". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  10. ^ "German crew sank own submarine after First World War to prevent it falling into Allied hands". Daily Telegraph. 7 Dec 2023.


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