On 6 May 1920 asked the Chef
of the Dutch Naval Staff at The Hague, Netherlands the liaison officers at
London, England and Berlin, Germany to supply all available and/or necessary
information dealing with minelayer-submarines. The reason for this request was
a possible project for such submarines to be used in Dutch territorial waters
or in the Dutch East Indies. In the Dutch naval shipbuilding program for 1925
was such a submarine for the Dutch East Indies planned. The Naval Law was
however refused by the Parliament. The first minelayer-submarine in the Royal
Netherlands Navy was the former German UC 8 of 1915. Interned during the First
World War and later bought by the Dutch cabinet and taken into the service as
Hr. Ms. M 1. Despite the intention was the first newly built minelayer
submarine not earlier realized as in 1936. The O 19 (first to be named K XIX)
was laid down on 15 June 1936. The Kon. Mij. De Schelde at Vlissingen,
Netherlands designed in 1929-1934 a minelayer submarine but which was never
built.
The Dutch liaison officer at
Berlin supplied details about the German submarines adding some general
information. He wrote that before the First World War Germany did not possessed
any minelayer submarine. In the German navy was none place for such a
submarine, only for submarines which could cooperate with the Hochseeflotte
(the major surface warships). There were still no ideas in merchant trade war
using mines in 1911. The mines were stored in six chutes (or according to the
liaison officer) and in fact always lying in the water. The disadvantage was
that the mines on top sometimes stuck partly above the water out causing a
possible corrosion of important components. To prevent this corrosion were the
mines to be laid within 5-6 days after leaving the base. When the chutes were
filled with the mines, were these to be tightened to prevent a gliding
downwards. This sliding was a potential danger when transferring the mines
while it was possible that a mine came below the submarine. As a result was
already one submarine destroyed. It was also believed that C type submarines at
sea also were destroyed by their own mines. To prevent this were the four
forward chutes not completely filled while the upper mines did not dropped well
into the water. Later were the boats fitted out with an additional safety to
prevent damage by an own mine losing it anchor. The liaison officer remarked
that the chute-system had the advantage of being very simple.
Displacement 500
(surfaced)-745 (submerged) tons. Speed 11,6 (surfaced)-6,6 (submerged) miles.
Able to take 14 UC 200 type mines with her. The armament consisted of 1-10,5
L/46g. For the gun were 300 shells (?) available. Fitted out with 2-50 cm bow
torpedo tubes and 1-50cm stern torpedo tube and took 7 torpedoes with her.
Fitted out with 2-300 hp diesels machinery for surface drive and 2-230 electric
machinery for submerged drive. Range 8.200 (9.850) miles with a speed of 7
miles. Fuel bunker capacity 56 (+12) tons?. The crew numbered 3 officers and 29
petty officers and sailors.
Source
Archive Dutch Naval Staff
1886-1942 (National Archive, The Hague, Netherlands) inventory 132a.
Note
The magazine Schiffbau dated
23 April 1919 supplied for this type the following details. Displacement 491
(surfaced)-571 (submerged) tons. Dimensions 56,5 x 5,54 x 3,7 metres.
Horsepower 2x300 hp surfaced-2x310hp submerged. Speed 11,5 (surfaced)-6,6
(submerged) knots. Oil bunker facility maximum 67 ton. Range 9.850 nautical
miles with a speed of 7 knots surfaced and submerged 40 nautical miles with a
speed of 4,5 knots. The website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Type_UC_III_submarine.
Type UC III minelayer submarine. Building at
Blohm&Voss, Hamburg, Germany with yard number 324 ordered on 12 January
1916, launched on 19 January 1918, commissioned in German navy on 15 July 1918,
surrendered to Japan on 1 December 1919, commissioned in Japanese navy as the
O-4in 1920, partly dismantled at the Kure Navy Yard in 1921, used as a anti
submarine warfare target between 1924-1926 and finally broken up. Diving time
15 second and diving depth 75 metres/246 feet.
