SM UC-1 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat had been ordered by November 1914 and was launched on 26 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 5 July 1915 as SM UC-1.[1] Mines laid by UC-1 in her 80 patrols were credited with sinking 41 ships. UC-1 disappeared after 18 July 1917. UC-1 was sunk on 24 July 1917 by F2B Felixstowe flying boat. Standard practice was to fly along the U boat and drop 2 250lb bombs astride it, hoping to cause leaks and give time for a destroyer to collect the submariners and sink it. On this occasion, by fluke, one bomb went through the conning tower and blew the base out of UC1. MFG Mill was awarded the DFC for this but he refused to wear it because of the total loss of life
A Type UC I submarine, UC-1 had a displacement of 168t when at the surface and 183t while submerged. She had a length overall of 33.99m (111.52feet), a beam of 3.15m (10.33feet), and a draught of 3.040NaN0. The submarine was powered by one Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine producing 90PS, an electric motor producing 175PS, and one propeller shaft. She was capable of operating at a depth of .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, she could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . UC-1 was fitted with six mine tubes, twelve UC 120 mines, and one 8mm machine gun. She was built by AG Vulcan Stettin and her complement was fourteen crew members.
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[2] | Fate[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 1915 | 320 | Sunk | |||
| 14 July 1915 | Rym |  Norway | 1,073 | Sunk | |
| 15 July 1915 | HMT Agamemnon II | 225 | Sunk | ||
| 30 July 1915 | Prince Albert |  Belgium | 1,820 | Sunk | |
| 31 July 1915 | Galicia |  United Kingdom | 5,922 | Damaged | |
| 8 August 1915 | HMT Ben Ardna | 197 | Sunk | ||
| 14 August 1915 | Highland Corrie | United Kingdom | 7,583 | Damaged | |
| 9 September 1915 | Balakani | United Kingdom | 3,696 | Sunk | |
| 22 October 1915 | HMT Scott | 288 | Sunk | ||
| 9 November 1915 | Irene | United Kingdom | 543 | Sunk | |
| 27 November 1915 | Klar | United Kingdom | 518 | Sunk | |
| 3 December 1915 | HMT Etoile Polaire | 278 | Sunk | ||
| 16 December 1915 | Levenpool | United Kingdom | 4,844 | Damaged | |
| 24 December 1915 | HMT Carilon | 226 | Sunk | ||
| 24 December 1915 | Embla | United Kingdom | 1,172 | Sunk | |
| 2 January 1916 | Glocliffe | United Kingdom | 2,211 | Damaged | |
| 18 January 1916 | Rijndam |  Netherlands | 12,527 | Damaged | |
| 19 January 1916 | Leoville |  France | 775 | Sunk | |
| 28 January 1916 | Perth | Norway | 3,522 | Damaged | |
| 30 January 1916 | Maasdijk | Netherlands | 3,557 | Sunk | |
| 11 February 1916 | Alabama | Norway | 891 | Sunk | |
| 25 March 1916 | Duiveland | Netherlands | 1,297 | Sunk | |
| 27 March 1916 | Empress of Midland | United Kingdom | 2,224 | Sunk | |
| 4 April 1916 | Bendew | United Kingdom | 3,681 | Sunk | |
| 12 April 1916 | Colombia | Netherlands | 5,644 | Damaged | |
| 20 April 1916 | Lodewijk Van Nassau | Netherlands | 3,350 | Sunk | |
| 2 May 1916 | Fridland |  Sweden | 4,960 | Damaged | |
| 26 May 1916 | El Argentino | United Kingdom | 6,809 | Sunk | |
| 18 June 1916 | Mendibil-mendi |  Spain | 4,501 | Sunk | |
| 26 June 1916 | Astrologer | United Kingdom | 912 | Sunk | |
| 26 June 1916 | HMT Tugela | 233 | Sunk | ||
| 28 June 1916 | Mercurius | United Kingdom | 129 | Sunk | |
| 30 June 1916 | HMT Whooper | 302 | Sunk | ||
| 16 July 1916 | Alto | United Kingdom | 2,266 | Sunk | |
| 16 July 1916 | Mopsa | United Kingdom | 885 | Sunk | |
| 30 July 1916 | Claudia | United Kingdom | 1,144 | Sunk | |
| 11 August 1916 | F. Stobart | United Kingdom | 801 | Sunk | |
| 23 August 1916 | HMT Birch | 215 | Sunk | ||
| 27 August 1916 | HMD Ocean Plough | 99 | Sunk | ||
| 31 August 1916 | HMD Tuberose | 67 | Sunk | ||
| 1 September 1916 | Dronning Maud | Norway | 1,102 | Sunk | |
| 4 September 1916 | HMT Jessie Nutten | 187 | Sunk | ||
| 6 October 1916 | Lanterna | United Kingdom | 1,685 | Sunk | |
| 8 November 1916 | 1,027 | Sunk | |||
| 28 December 1916 | Torpilleur 317 | 100 | Sunk | ||
| 1 January 1917 | Sussex | United Kingdom | 5,686 | Damaged | |
| 15 January 1917 | Port Nicholson | United Kingdom | 8,418 | Sunk | |
| 11 May 1917 | 303 | Sunk | |||
| 24 June 1917 | HMS Kempton | 810 | Sunk | ||
| 24 June 1917 | HMS Redcar | 810 | Sunk |