SM UC-12 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy () during World War I.
Design A Type UC I submarine, UC-1 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 one Benz six-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine producing , an electric motor producing , 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 machine gun. She was built by AG Weser Bremen and her complement was fourteen crew members.
Construction The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 27 January 1915, and was launched on 29 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 May 1915 as SM UC-12."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
Service history UC-12 served with the Pola Flotilla based at Cattaro in the Adriatic. She operated as a minelayer, and undertook seven patrols in this role. Mines laid by UC-12 were credited with sinking six ships. One of these, the Italian Marechiaro sunk on 21 February 1916, was listed as a hospital ship and sank with over 200 casualties. Since Germany was not at war with Italy at this stage, though Austria was, UC 12, like other German U-boats in the Mediterranean, operated under the Austro-Hungarian flag.
Fate On 16 March 1916 UC-12 was sunk by the detonation of one of her own mines while laying a mine fields off Taranto harbour. Italian divers inspected the wreck and established its identity. The knowledge that Germany, technically their ally, was assiduously mining their naval bases was a contributing factor in Italy’s decision in August 1916 to declare war on Germany.Kemp p 17 The submarine was raised by Italy and commissioned as X-1 in the Italian Royal Navy.
The wreck of the UC-12 was located 1700 metres from the shore and it was decided to recover it, given that it was lying in shallow water (31 metres deep).
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate16 February 1916Memphis2,382Sunk21 February 1916Marechiaro412Sunk23 February 1916Monsone249Sunk26 February 1916HMD Lily Reaich88Sunk3 March 1916HMD Boy Harold74Sunk8 March 1916HMD Enterprise II84Sunk
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External links X 1 Marina Militare website