SM UB-17

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-17.

History
German Empire
NameUB-17
Ordered25 November 1914[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen[2]
Yard number226[1]
Laid down21 February 1915[1]
Launched21 April 1915[1]
Commissioned4 May 1915[1]
FateDisappeared after 11 March 1918[1] Found in July 2013
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeType UB I submarine
Displacement
  • 127 t (125 long tons) surfaced
  • 141 t (139 long tons) submerged
Length27.88 m (91 ft 6 in) (o/a)
Beam3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Draft3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 7.45 knots (13.80 km/h; 8.57 mph) surfaced
  • 6.24 knots (11.56 km/h; 7.18 mph) submerged
Range
  • 1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
  • 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Test depth50 metres (160 ft)
Complement14
Armament
Notes33-second diving time
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Oblt. Ralph Wenninger[1]
  • 4 May 1915 – 6 February 1916
  • Oblt. Arthur Metz
  • 7 February – 9 March 1916
  • Oblt. Werner Fürbringer
  • 10–16 March 1916
  • Oblt. Friedrich Moecke
  • 17 March – 15 April 1916
  • Oblt. Ralph Wenninger
  • 16 April – 27 June 1916
  • Oblt. Günther Suadicani
  • 28 June – 7 July 1916
  • Oblt. Hans Degetau
  • 8 July – 3 December 1916
  • Oblt. Ulrich Meier
  • 4 December 1916 – 17 July 1917
  • Oblt. Georg Niemeyer
  • 18 July – 23 September 1917
  • Oblt. Günther Wigankow
  • 24–30 September 1917
  • Oblt. Johannes Ries
  • 1 October 1917 – 9 January 1918
  • Oblt. Albert Branscheid
  • 10 January – 15 March 1918
Operations: 91 patrols[1]
Victories:
  • 11 merchant ships sunk
    (1,812 GRT)[1]
  • 2 auxiliary warships sunk
    (374 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (4,054 GRT)
  • 2 merchant ships taken as prize
    (316 GRT + Unknown GRT)

SM UB-17 was a German Type UB I submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The submarine disappeared during a patrol in March 1918.

UB-17 was ordered in November 1914 and was laid down at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen in February 1915. UB-17 was a little under 28 metres (92 ft) in length and displaced between 127 and 141 tonnes (125 and 139 long tons), depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two torpedoes for her two bow torpedo tubes and was also armed with a deck-mounted machine gun. UB-17 was broken into sections and shipped by rail to Antwerp for reassembly. She was launched in April 1915 and commissioned as SM UB-17 in May.[Note 1]

UB-17 spent her entire career in the Flanders Flotilla and sank 13 ships, most of them British fishing vessels. She also captured two ships as prizes and damaged one tanker. On 11 March 1918, UB-17 departed for a patrol in the Hoofden but was never seen again. There have been several suggestions as to UB-17's fate, but none match the U-boat's operation details.

In July 2013, UB-17 was found off England's east coast, near the county of Suffolk by archaeologists.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UB 17". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 172.
  3. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 22–23.
  4. ^ Thadeusz, Frank (19 July 2013). "German Subs: Sunken WWI U-Boats a Bonanza for Historians". Der Spiegel. spiegel.de. Retrieved 21 July 2013.


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