German submarine UC-5, which showed the strength of mine warfare

The mine war rarely goes to the history books. In World War I, however, sea mines became one of the most effective tools to combat shipping. German submarine UC-5 was a small unit, but the effects of his actions were felt by the Royal Navy and British shipping.

World War I and the birth of an underwater mine war

World War I introduced the Navy into the era of submarines. They have not yet been individuals known from the later Battle of the Atlantic, but it has already become clear that the threat under water will require new defense methods. Part German U-boats it received a special task: secretively placing sea mines on approaches to ports, in straits, anchorage areas and on frequent shipping routes.

For Germany it was a response to the Royal Navy's advantage and the British naval blockade. Since the Kaiserliche Marine water fleet could not freely impose its own playing conditions on the British, they were looking for a way of hitting shipping without having to issue a classic battle. One such tool became underwater miners.

Their strength was in the simplicity and secrecy of action. Seamines did not require the presence of the ship at the time of the attack, and once the housestead forced the opponent to continue trampling and careful sailing. Each minefield meant not only the risk of loss, but also the need to involve people, auxiliary units and time.

Type UC I and EMA mines

In November 1914, Empress Polish Navy ordered a series of small submarines adapted to set mines. These were not yet large, oceanic U-boats known from the later submarine war, but small coastal units designed to operate on approaches to ports, estuary and frequent waterway tracks.

Units of type UC I were approximately 34 m long and buoyancy of 168 tons on the surface and 183 tons in immersion. Sizes reflect the character of this structure: it was a small, specialized ship whose task was not to fight torpedo but to quickly and secretly place a minestead.

Prototype UC-1 was launched on 26 April 1915, and was accepted into service on 5 July of the same year. More ships of this type were built in a short time, creating one of the first specialized submarine series miners.

UC I ships carried EMA 12 mins in six vertical mine shafts placed in the front of the hull. Each shaft housed two mines. The solution was simple and dangerous at the same time: the ship could secretly plant a minestead where the opponent expected a more classical threat from the U-boats than the mines placed under the water.

Entry UC-5 to action

Although the type designation started with UC-1That's it. UC-5 He went on duty earlier. The ship was incarnated on June 19, 1915, and his first commander was Oberleutnant Herbert Pustkuchen. August 21st UC-5 He was the first underwater miner to penetrate the English Channel.

The ship came out of Bruges through an airlock in Zeebrugge on the evening of August 20. At night, walking on the surface at high speed, he passed through the Kaleta Strait. The next day he placed 12 mins in the Boulogne area. One of them sank a steamship that same day. William Dawson with a capacity of 284 tonnes.

September UC-5 repeated the actions, placing further mines under Boulogne and at the entrance to the port of Folkestone. One of them sank a cable car. Monarch with a capacity of 1122 tonnes. For the British command, it was a clear signal that the mine threat in the La Manche Canal area became one of the most serious safety issues of shipping.

Dover Patrol to Mine Threat

Mines placed by UC-5 especially concerned Commander Dover Patrol, Rear Admiral Reginald H. C. Bacon. His forces were responsible for defending the Kaletań Strait, one of the most important waters for British shipping and Royal Navy operations.

Bacon quickly began to expand his trawl forces. Drifters and trawlers were assigned to antimine tasks, which cleaned shipping routes daily. It was laborious, dangerous and demanding, but without it, it would become increasingly difficult to maintain maritime traffic on approaches to ports.

In that sense UC-5 He wasn't just a single tactically successful ship. It became part of a wider campaign that forced the British to direct people, units, and equipment to permanent anti-mine defense actions.

Entrance to the shallow and attempt to sink the ship

April 27, 1916 UC-5, already commanded by Oberleutnant Ulrich Mohrbutter, was on the 29th patrol. The ship entered the Shipwash Shoal shallow in the North Sea, approximately 10 miles east of Felixstowe.

The crew was unable to pull the units from the shallows themselves. As the HMS destroyer approached the area FiredrakeCommander UC-5 destroyed journals, combat journals, signal books, navigational maps and other materials that may have intelligence significance. The explosives were then prepared to sink the ship.

As the British destroyer approached closer, Royal Navy sailors saw the German crew standing on board. After the call for surrender, the Germans left the flag, after which, as ordered by the commander, they jumped to the sea. A moment later, there was an explosion.

However, the cargo did not completely destroy the ship. The open kiosk discharged some of the blast energy, so the hull was not immediately torn. However, a rigid fuselage suffered damage, and by leaks and torn rivets into the interior the water quickly began to enter. The crew was taken by HMS Firedrake And she was taken prisoner.

The British take over. UC-5

The British could not enter the ship immediately. There was a thick smoke inside after the explosion. Finally, when it was safe to enter, the extent of the damage was discovered. The crew broke the glass of periscopes and compasses, and parts of the devices were fired from guns to prevent their use by the opponent.

The interior of the ship was partially flooded and covered with mud. However, the greatest threat was revealed only by divers during the hull inspection. Two of the twelve mines, most likely touched by the explosion of cargo planted by the crew, were trapped under the ship. The explosion did not occur just because their incendiary horns remained intact.

Only after securing mines could work on extracting the ship. HMS was assigned to the task Racer, a former Royal Navy ship then used as a rescue unit. After a month of hard work UC-5 raised, to Harwich, and placed in a floating dock.

From the conquest of war to the exhibit

After partial reconstruction of the technical condition UC-5 He went to the Temple Pier exposure on the Thames. The ship was used as an attraction supporting the collection of funds for war. Later, the unit was partially dismantled and sent to the United States to help promote war loans.

One of the exposure sites UC-5 was New York Central Park. The captured German submarine attracted crowds of visitors there and was used to promote war loans.

Hull fragment UC-5 was exhibited in New York Central Park. To the public, the captured German submarine was a material proof of the threat Britain faced at sea. For Royal Navy specialists, however, it was a source of knowledge about German underwater technology and mine.

Balance of actions UC-5

Service UC-5 It was short, but its effects were severe. The mines set by this ship sank 30 units with a total tonnage of 37,231 tonnes. Among them were steamships, naval trawlers, drifters, destroyer, auxiliary trawler, submarine, hospital ship, tanker, fishing craft and cable ship.

Another seven units, with a total tonnage of 20,262 tonnes, were damaged. This means that at the cost of losing one small 185-ton Imperial ship Polish Navy led to the sinking or damage of 57,493 tons of units.

This shows well the essence of mine warfare. Its effectiveness was not due to the battle of ships or the advantage of artillery, but to the possibility of paralyzing maritime traffic, forcing trawling and maintaining constant pressure on shipping.

German Mine War and British Response

German U-boat was not an exception, but part of a much greater effort of Kaiserliche Marine. According to Naval History during World War I, German Polish Navy had 114 underwater miners in service. In addition to these, she had water vessels designed to set mines and rebuilt civilian units for this role.

The scale of action was enormous. German ships and ships have set more than 43,000 min. Tens of British warships, hundreds of auxiliary units, and nearly 500 merchant ships were killed.

For the British, this meant the need to create an extensive trawl force. During the war, 726 units, including Royal Navy ships, trawlers, drifters, wheeled steamers, and small-immersive trawlers, were engaged in anti-mine activities. About 10,000 sailors served them. Many of them sailed in the merchant fleet before the war. The price was high: 214 trawlers were lost in the activities.

History UC-5 So it remains more than an episode from the history of the underwater war. This is an example of how a small ship with mine weapons could force a stronger opponent to react costlyly and long lastingly. In the realities of World War I, seamines became one of the most effective tools to fight for communication lines and safety of shipping.