SM UC-17

SM UC-17 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was ordered on 29 August 1915 and launched on 29 February 1916. She was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 21 July 1916 as SM UC-17.

In 21 patrols UC-17 was credited with sinking 97 ships by either torpedo or laying mines. They included the Royal Fleet Auxiliary munitions ship RFA Lady Cory-Wright, which she torpedoed and sank in the English Channel on 26 March 1918.

Design

Like all pre-UC-25 German Type UC II submarines, UC-17 had a displacement of 417 tonnes (410 long tons) when at the surface and 493 tonnes (485 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 49.35 m (161 ft 11 in) overall, a beam of 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in). The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 250 metric horsepower (180 kW; 250 shp) (a total of 500 metric horsepower (370 kW; 490 shp)), two electric motors producing 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 shp), and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 35 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft).