Type UC III submarine

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UC-93 in Italy, 1918
Class overview
Builders	AG Weser, Bremen Blohm & Voss, Hamburg Vulcan, Hamburg Germaniawerft, Kiel
Operators	Imperial German Navy
Preceded by	UC II
Cost	3,303,000 German paper marks
Built	1917–1918
In commission	1918–1919
Planned	113
Building	59
Completed	25
Cancelled	54
Lost	1
General characteristics
Class and type	German Type UC III submarine
Displacement	491 t (483 long tons), surfaced 571 t (562 long tons), submerged
Length	56.51 m (185 ft 5 in) (o/a) 42.20 m (138 ft 5 in) (pressure hull)
Beam	5.54 m (18 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Draft	3.77 m (12 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	2 × propeller shafts 2 × 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engines, 600 PS (440 kW; 590 bhp) 2 × electric motors, 770 PS (570 kW; 760 shp)
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph), surfaced 6.6 knots (12.2 km/h; 7.6 mph), submerged
Range	9,850 nautical miles (18,240 km; 11,340 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph), surfaced 40 nmi (74 km; 46 mi) at 4.5 knots (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph), submerged
Test depth	75 m (246 ft)
Complement	32
Armament	6 × 100 cm (39.4 in) mine tubes 14 × UC 200 mines 3 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 bow external; one stern) 7 × torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 or 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun
Notes	15-second diving time

Type UC III minelaying submarines were used by the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. They displaced 474 tonnes (467 long tons) at the surface and 571 t (562 long tons) submerged, carried guns, 7 torpedoes and up to 14 mines. The ships were double-hulled with improved range and sea-keeping compared to the UC II type. The type had better seagoing, maneuvering and turning capabilities than its predecessor, while underwater stability was reduced.^[1]

A total of 113 Type UC III submarines were ordered by the Imperial German Navy, but only 25 U-boats were completed before the Armistice with Germany in 1918. Of those, 16 U-boats actually served in the war. 54 building orders were cancelled in 1918, while 34 U-boats were never completed and broken up in the ship yards.