SM UC-34 explained

SM UC-34 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 20 November 1915 and was launched on 6 May 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 25 September 1916 as SM UC-34.[1] In nine patrols UC-34 was credited with sinking 21 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid.

On 30 December 1917 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Horst Obermüller, UC-34 torpedoed the British troop ship off the Port of Alexandria.[2] [3] Aragons escort, the destroyer, rescued 300 to 400 survivors but then UC-34 torpedoed and sank her was well. Of 2,500 personnel who had been aboard Aragon, 610 were killed.[2] [3]

UC-34 was scuttled at Pola on 28 October 1918 on the surrender of Austria-Hungary.

Design

A Type UC II submarine, UC-34 had a displacement of 427t when at the surface and 509t while submerged. She had a length overall of 50.35m (165.19feet) o/a, a beam of 5.22m (17.13feet), and a draught of 3.650NaN0. The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 300PS (a total of 600PS), two electric motors producing 460PS, 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-34 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 8.8sp=usNaNsp=us Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage[4] Fate[5]
27 December 1916Maud France176Sunk
28 December 1916Seedonis284Sunk
6 April 1917Rahmanich Egypt100Sunk
6 April 1917Spithead United Kingdom4,697Sunk
8 April 1917Geilan Bahri United Kingdom19Sunk
10 April 1917Fotis Greece3,526Damaged
11 April 1917Imperial Transport United Kingdom4,648Sunk
4 May 1917Cameleon179Sunk
31 May 1917Ozarda United Kingdom4,791Damaged
2 June 1917Cameronian United Kingdom5,861Sunk
7 June 1917Liliana70Sunk
30 June 1917Caledonien France4,140Sunk
13 September 1917Bengali United Kingdom5,684Damaged
25 October 1917Euston United Kingdom2,841Sunk
12 November 1917Barbary United Kingdom4,185Sunk
30 December 19179,588Sunk
30 December 1917785Sunk
31 December 19174,041Sunk
8 April 1918Bengali United Kingdom5,684Sunk
9 April 1918Vasconia Norway3,052Sunk
1 August 1918Columbia Denmark5,570Sunk
6 August 1918Clan Macneil United Kingdom3,939Sunk
10 August 1918Patra France45Sunk
10 August 1918Tatarrax United Kingdom6,216Sunk

References

Notes and References

  1. "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
  2. 402. Aragon. 1ship. 9 April 2013.
  3. News: Last Song on Doomed Ship . . . 9 April 2013.
  4. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
  5. uc34. UC 34. 1boat. 12 December 2014.