The Type UC I submarines were a class of small coastal minelaying U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s built in Germany during the early part of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. They were the first operational minelaying submarines in the world (although the Russian submarine Krab

Russian submarine Krab

The Krab was a submarine built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was designed by Mikhail Petrovich Nalyotov as the world's first submarine minelayer, although due to construction delays the German UC submarines entered service earlier. The mines were stowed in two horizontal galleries exiting...

 was laid down earlier). A total of fifteen boats were built. The class is sometimes also referred to as the UC-1 class after , the class leader.

Design

These submarines were designed by Dr. Werner of the Torpedo Inspectorate, and based on the Type UB I

German type UB I submarine

The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War. Twenty boats were constructed, most of which went into service with the German Imperial Navy. Boats of this design were also operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Bulgarian...

 small coastal submarines, with a revised bow section housing inclined minelaying tubes and uprated engines to compensate for the increased displacement and less streamlined form. The boats' sole armament was six internal mine tubes with 12 mines, although UC-11

SM UC-11

SM UC-11 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 26 January 1915, and was launched on 11 April 1915...

 was fitted with a single external torpedo tube in 1916. They were constructed very quickly, and suffered from problems with their minelaying system, which in some cases caused the mines to become armed before exiting their tubes and explode prematurely.

List of Type UC I submarines

A total of 15 Type UC I submarines were built.
, struck mine off Nieuport, 19 July 1917, rammed and sunk by coaster Cottingham off Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

, 2 July 1915, struck mine off Zeebrugge, 27 May 1916, destroyed at Zeebrugge, 5 October 1918, wrecked in Thames Estuary 27 April 1916, sunk by British seaplanes, Thames Estuary, 27 September 1917, departed Zeebrugge, 3 March 1916, and did not return. Believed to have struck a mine, grounded on Dutch coast, 14 November 1915. Interned by Netherlands and served in Dutch Navy as the M-1 until broken up in 1932, sunk by detonation of its own mines, North Sea, 21 October 1915, sunk by British submarine E54

HMS E54

HMS E54 was a British E class submarine built by William Beardmore, Dalmuir. She was laid down on 1 February 1915 and was commissioned in May 1916.She sank UC-10 on 21 August 1916.HMS E54 was sold on 14 December 1921....

 21 August 1916, off Dutch coast, struck mine in English Channel, 16 June 1918, sunk by detonation of its own mines, 16 March 1916 near Taranto; salvaged and repaired by Italy as X1 (scrapped 1919), ran aground and scuttled, Turkish coast, 29 November 1915, struck mine off Zeebrugge, 3 October 1917, failed to return from Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

patrol, November 1916