SM UC-18 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 29 August 1915 and was launched on 4 March 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 15 August 1916 as SM UC-18."SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" () and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine. In 6 patrols UC-18 was credited with sinking 34 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-18 was sunk by the British Q ship HMS Lady Olive on 19 February 1917.
Design Like all pre-UC-25 Type UC II submarines, UC-18 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 35 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-18 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.
Discovery In March 2024, it was announced that the wreck of UC-18 had been discovered by a team of divers off the island of Guernsey at a depth of , some further west than the historical accounts of the battle described which was originally believed to have been west of the coast of Jersey.
Summary of raiding history DateNameNationalityTonnageMerchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.Fate3 November 1916HMT Glenprosen224Sunk5 November 1916HMT Cantatrice302Sunk9 November 1916HMS Fair Maid432Sunk9 November 1916Marga674Sunk10 November 1916H.m.w.93Sunk13 November 1916Lilloise165Sunk15 November 1916Lake Michigan9,288Damaged16 November 1916Trevarrack4,199Sunk11 December 1916Inger786Sunk14 December 1916Glencoe2,560Sunk14 December 1916Leca1,911Sunk15 December 1916Rogn1,028Sunk17 December 1916Cascais835Sunk17 December 1916Immaculee Conception246Sunk17 December 1916Prima1,233Sunk17 December 1916Prosper Leon42Sunk17 December 1916Saint Yves325Sunk18 December 1916Kansan7,913Damaged22 December 1916Amedee130Sunk22 December 1916Dansborg2,242Sunk22 December 1916Hroptatyr1,300Sunk12 January 1917Saint Michel419Sunk13 January 1917Toftwood3,082Sunk14 January 1917Martin1,904Sunk15 January 1917Bernadette128Sunk15 January 1917Otto401Sunk16 January 1917City of Tampico1,513Sunk17 January 1917Jeune France126Sunk17 January 1917Valle2,365Sunk18 January 1917Louis Joseph197Sunk18 January 1917Louise101Sunk19 January 1917Klampenborg1,785Sunk19 January 1917Parahyba2,606Sunk20 January 1917Phoebe3,956Damaged22 January 1917Aurelie89Sunk18 February 1917Netherton199Sunk19 February 1917HMS Lady Olive701Sunk
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