SM UC-48

History
German Empire
Class and type:	German Type UC II submarine
Name:	UC-48
Ordered:	20 November 1915[1]
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen[2]
Yard number:	258[1]
Laid down:	1 February 1916[1]
Launched:	27 September 1916[1]
Commissioned:	6 November 1916[1]
Fate:	interned at Ferrol, Spain, 23 March 1918[1]
General characteristics [3]
Class and type:	Type UC II submarine
Displacement:	420 t (410 long tons), surfaced; 502 t (494 long tons), submerged;
Length:	51.85 m (170 ft 1 in) o/a; 39.70 m (130 ft 3 in) pressure hull;
Beam:	5.22 m (17 ft 2 in) o/a; 3.65 m (12 ft) pressure hull;
Draught:	3.67 m (12 ft 0 in)
Propulsion:	2 × propeller shafts; 2 × 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engines, 600 PS (440 kW; 590 shp); 2 × electric motors, 460 PS (340 kW; 450 shp);
Speed:	11.7 knots (21.7 km/h; 13.5 mph), surfaced; 6.7 knots (12.4 km/h; 7.7 mph), submerged;
Range:	7,280 nmi (13,480 km; 8,380 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced; 54 nmi (100 km; 62 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth:	50 m (160 ft)
Complement:	26
Armament:	6 × 100 cm (39.4 in) mine tubes; 18 × UC 200 mines; 3 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 bow/external; one stern); 7 × torpedoes; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun;
Notes:	30-second diving time
Service record
Part of:	Flandern Flotilla; 3 February 1917 – 23 March 1918;
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Kurt Ramien[4]; 6 November 1916 – 20 October 1917; Oblt.z.S. Helmut Lorenz[5]; 21 October 1917 – 23 March 1918;
Operations:	13 patrols
Victories:	33 merchant ships sunk (66,862 GRT); 6 merchant ships damaged (23,821 GRT); 2 warships sunk (968 tons);

SM UC-48 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, laid down on 1 February 1916, and was launched on 27 September 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 6 November 1916 as SM UC-48.[Note 1] In 13 patrols UC-48 was credited with sinking 35 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-48 was severely damaged by a depth charge attack by HMS Loyal on 20 March 1918 that ruptured the fuel tanks. Unable to return to Zeebrugge, the boat was steered to Ferrol, Spain, where she and her crew were interned for the rest of the war. The Spanish authorities removed UC-48's propellers to prevent any attempts at leaving port.[1]

Design

A German Type UC II submarine, UC-48 had a displacement of 420 tonnes (410 long tons) when at the surface and 502 tonnes (494 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 51.85 m (170 ft 1 in), a beam of 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in). The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 300 metric horsepower (220 kW; 300 shp) (a total of 600 metric horsepower (440 kW; 590 shp)), two electric motors producing 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 shp), and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 48 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 11.7 knots (21.7 km/h; 13.5 mph) and a submerged speed of 6.7 knots (12.4 km/h; 7.7 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 7,280 nautical miles (13,480 km; 8,380 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). UC-48 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, eighteen UC 200 mines, three 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.[3]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 2]	Fate[6]
16 March 1917	Pencaer	United Kingdom	59	Sunk
16 March 1917	William Martyn	United Kingdom	104	Sunk
17 March 1917	Antony	United Kingdom	6,466	Sunk
17 March 1917	Guard	United Kingdom	38	Sunk
21 March 1917	Rio Sorocaba	United Kingdom	4,307	Sunk
22 March 1917	Chorley	United Kingdom	3,828	Sunk
22 March 1917	Providence	United Kingdom	2,970	Sunk
23 March 1917	J. B. August Kessler	Netherlands	5,104	Damaged
25 March 1917	HMT Evangel	Royal Navy	197	Sunk
27 April 1917	Amelia & Jane	United Kingdom	62	Damaged
1 May 1917	Raymond Ester	France	20	Sunk
2 May 1917	United	United Kingdom	61	Sunk
2 May 1917	Warnow	United Kingdom	1,593	Sunk
5 May 1917	Feltria	United Kingdom	5,254	Sunk
5 May 1917	Greta	United Kingdom	297	Sunk
7 May 1917	Kinross	United Kingdom	4,120	Sunk
9 June 1917	Amphitrite	Portugal	179	Sunk
10 June 1917	Solhaug	Norway	1,217	Sunk
13 June 1917	Ernestine	France	160	Sunk
15 June 1917	Eugene Et Eugenie	France	46	Sunk
16 June 1917	John D. Archbold	United States	8,374	Sunk
17 June 1917	Anjou	French Navy	771	Sunk
17 June 1917	Antonios M. Mavrogordatos	Greece	3,771	Sunk
18 June 1917	Tyne	United Kingdom	2,909	Sunk
15 July 1917	Florence Creadick	United States	732	Damaged
15 July 1917	Westmeath	United Kingdom	9,179	Damaged
16 July 1917	Henry R. James	United Kingdom	3,146	Sunk
18 August 1917	Dunkerquois	France	2,087	Sunk
19 August 1917	Monksgarth	United Kingdom	1,928	Sunk
19 August 1917	Ytterøy	Norway	1,112	Sunk
16 September 1917	Sandsend	United Kingdom	3,814	Sunk
17 September 1917	Our Bairns	United Kingdom	38	Sunk
17 September 1917	Ronald	United Kingdom	38	Sunk
19 September 1917	Etal Manor	United Kingdom	1,875	Sunk
21 September 1917	Kouang-Si	France	6,472	Damaged
14 October 1917	Barbro	Norway	2,356	Sunk
14 October 1917	Castro	Greece	1,994	Sunk
15 October 1917	Hovde	Norway	1,196	Sunk
22 October 1917	Aizcorri Mendi	Spain	2,272	Damaged
17 November 1917	Modemi	Norway	1,481	Sunk
30 January 1918	Ange Gardien	France	24	Sunk

References

Notes

"SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 48". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
Tarrant, p. 173.
Gröner 1991, pp. 31-32.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Kurt Ramien (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Helmut Lorenz". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UC 48". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.

Bibliography

Bendert, Harald (2001). Die UC-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918. Minenkrieg mit U-Booten (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0758-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8. OCLC 12119866.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.

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[6] "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

[tonnage-7] Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

[UC-48-1] Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC 48". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.

[Tarrant-173-2] Tarrant, p. 173.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199131-32-3] Gröner 1991, pp. 31-32.

[4] Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Kurt Ramien (Royal House Order of Hohenzollern)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.

[5] Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Helmut Lorenz". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.

[8] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UC 48". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 25 February 2015.