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SM UC-18

SM UC-18 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy () during World War I.

The U-boat was ordered on 29 August 1915 and was launched on 4 March 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 15 August 1916 as SM UC-18. In 6 patrols UC-18 was credited with sinking 34 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-18 was sunk by the British Q ship HMS Lady Olive on 19 February 1917.

Design

Like all pre-UC-25 Type UC II submarines, UC-18 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a length overall of , a beam of , and a draught of .

The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing (a total of ), two electric motors producing , and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 35 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of .

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at .

UC-18 was fitted with six mine tubes, eighteen UC 200 mines, three torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.

Discovery

In March 2024, it was announced that the wreck of UC-18 had been discovered by a team of divers off the island of Guernsey at a depth of , some further west than the historical accounts of the battle described which was originally believed to have been west of the coast of Jersey.

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

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