SM UC-41 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 20 November 1915 and was launched on 13 September 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 October 1916 as SM UC-41."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
In a nine-month career that encompassed seven patrols UC-41 was credited with sinking 17 ships totaling 19,245 GRT, either by torpedo or by mines laid. The writer David Masters attributed the sinking of the two tiny naval fishing smacks Nelson and Ethel & Millie to UC-41 during an engagement on 15 August 1917. However this was actually UC-63, the logs of which record the event.
UC-41 was lost on 21 August 1917 after suffering an unexplained internal explosion of one of her mines which forced her to suddenly rise to the surface in the Tay estuary, where she was spotted by British naval trawlers and depth charged, killing all 27 German sailors and possibly seven British prisoners of war as well. Her wreck was rediscovered in 2003.
Design A Type UC II submarine, UC-41 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 48 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-41 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.
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate1 March 1917Tillycorthie382Sunk1 March 1917Orion1,354Sunk3 March 1917Elfi1,120Damaged3 March 1917Ring998Sunk13 April 1917Breadalbane112Damaged13 April 1917Stork152Sunk16 April 1917Lord Chancellor135Sunk17 April 1917U.s.a.182Sunk18 April 1917John S. Boyle143Sunk18 April 1917Rameses155Sunk20 April 1917Ballochbuie921Sunk20 April 1917HMT Othonna180Sunk20 April 1917Ringholm705Sunk22 April 1917Godø870Sunk23 April 1917Stegg463Sunk11 June 1917Breid1,062Sunk16 July 1917Valentia3,242Sunk25 July 1917Oakleaf8,106Sunk22 August 1917HMT Sophron195Sunk
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