SM UC-97 was a German Type UC III minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I.

Design

A Type UC III submarine, UC-97 had a displacement of 491 t when at the surface and 571 t while submerged. She had a length overall of 56.51 m, a beam of 5.54 m, and a draught of 3.77 m. The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 300 PS (a total of 600 PS), two electric motors producing 770 PS, and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 15 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 75 m. The submarine was designed for a maximum surface speed of 11.5 kn and a submerged speed of 6.6 kn. When submerged, she could operate for 40 nmi at 4.5 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 9850 nmi at 7 kn. UC-97 was fitted with six 100 cm mine tubes, fourteen UC 200 mines, three 50 cm torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one 10.5 cm SK L/45 or 8.8 cm Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.

Construction

The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 17 March 1918. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 3 September 1918 as SM UC-97. As with the rest of the completed UC III boats, UC-97 conducted no war patrols and sank no ships.

United States Navy

She was surrendered on 22 November 1918 to the United States. UC-97 formed the Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force with SMU U-111, SMU U-117, SMU U-140, SMU U-164, and SMU UB-88. Twelve United States Navy officers with 120 enlisted men were sent to England to sail the captured submarines of this expeditionary force across the Atlantic to be exhibited in the United States raising money for Liberty Bonds. UC-97 sailed from Harwich in April 1919 with U-111, U-164, and UB-88. The flotilla, escorted by USS Bushnell (AS-2), stopped in the Azores and Bermuda before reaching New York City. UC-97 sailed through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes under the command of Charles A. Lockwood. LCDR Lockwood spent the summer of 1919 coordinating port calls with mayors of cities on lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan. By late August, the submarine's unfamiliar German machinery was no longer responding reliably to Lockwood's crew. The commandant of the 9th Naval District assumed control of UC-97 as Lockwood with his crew left to assume command of USS R-25 (SS-102) being built at Bridgeport, Connecticut. UC-97 was moored at the foot of Monroe Street and opened to tourists in Chicago's lakefront Grant Park.

Destruction

A clause of the armistice treaty required all German combat vessels held by Allied forces to be destroyed before 1 July 1921. All armament, propulsion machinery, and navigation gear were removed from UC-97 before she was towed out into Lake Michigan by USS Hawk (IX-14) for use as a target during the annual summer training of naval reservists living in the Midwestern United States. USS Wilmette fired 18 rounds from a 4 in gun in 15 minutes to sink UC-97 20 nmi off the coast of Highland Park, Illinois on 7 June 1921. The wreck of UC-97 has not been definitively located. It has been reported in a 2013 Toronto Star article that the U-boat was found in 1992 by the Chicago-based company A and T Recovery.

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