SM UC-15 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy () during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 28 January 1915, and was launched on 19 May 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 28 June 1915 as SM UC-15."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine. Mines laid by UC-15 during her eight patrols are credited with sinking three ships. UC-15 disappeared in November 1916.
Design A Type UC I submarine, UC-15 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 depths of up to .
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-15 was fitted with six naval mine tubes, twelve UC 120 mines, and one machine gun. She was built by AG Weser Bremen and her complement was fourteen crew members.
Loss After completion, UC-15 joined the Constantinople Flotilla and became the flotilla's only minelaying submarineMarian Sârbu, Marina românâ în primul război mondial 1914-1918, p. 68 (in Romanian) in November 1915, after her sister ship was accidentally grounded and subsequently destroyed by her crew. In November 1916, UC-15 was sent on a minelaying mission off the Romanian port of Sulina and never returned, being sunk by her own mines.R.H. Gibson, Maurice Prendergast, The German Submarine War 1914-1918, Periscope Publishing, 2002, p. 135United States Naval Institute Proceedings, Volume 64, United States Naval Institute, 1938, p. 73 This was probably caused by an encounter with the Romanian torpedo boat , whose captain surprised a German submarine near Sulina in November 1916, the latter reportedly never returning to her base at Varna. This could only be UC-15, whose systems most likely malfunctioned after being forced to submerge in the shallow waters, upon encountering the Romanian torpedo boat.Cristian Crăciunoiu, Romanian navy torpedo boats, Modelism Publishing, 2003, p. 24
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate25 April 1916Zhivuchi350Sunk25 April 1916Sv. Georgiy Pobedonsets112Sunk20 June 1916Merkury762Sunk
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