Skip to main content
Service phase: Beta

This is a new way to search our records, which we're still working on. Alternatively you can search our existing catalogue, Discovery.

Item

Folios 327-336: CB number 01460 O.X.O, Copy number 423, UC.11 Interrogation of Survivor,...

Catalogue reference: ADM 137/3060/30

What’s it about?

This record is about the Folios 327-336: CB number 01460 O.X.O, Copy number 423, UC.11 Interrogation of Survivor,... dating from 1918 June in the series Admiralty: Historical Section: Records used for Official History, First World War. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

Access information is unavailable

Sorry, information for accessing this record is currently unavailable online. Please try again later.

Full description and record details

Reference
ADM 137/3060/30
Date
1918 June
Description

Folios 327-336: CB number 01460 O.X.O, Copy number 423, UC.11 Interrogation of Survivor, June 1918.

Folio 328: Cover sheet, UC.11.

Folio 329: table of contents.

Folio 330: The Survivor of UC.11 (sunk on 26 June 1918). Lieutenant Kurt Utke, the commanding officer was the sole survivor. Following service in the cruiser Yorcke was on the battle cruiser Von der Tann at the battle of Jutland when he was in charge of the rangefinder on the fore control tower. In 1917 volunteered for the submarine service. Following training and being a watch keeping officer, he was given temporary command of UC.11.

Folio 331: Last Cruise of UC.11. On 24 June UC.11 left Zeebrugge to her patrol area off Harwich. On 26 June without previous warning, a heavy explosion wrecked the after part of UC.11 causing her to sink instantly. The commanding office was alone in the control tower. The water rising in the boat had compressed the air sufficiently to allow him to open the control tower hatch and he rose to the surface in a bubble of air where he was rescued by the lifeboat Patrick. He believed that UC.11 had struck English mine but it is more likely to have been a German mine deliberately upswept.

Folio 331: Previous History of UC.11. UC.11 had been in the Kiel training flotilla and in the Flanders flotilla for minelaying. Her usual area of operations was off East Anglia and also through the Dover Barrage as far as Dungeness.

Folio 331: Crew of UC.11. The total complement was 18 of which the commanding officer was the only commissioned officer.

Folio 331: Details of UC.11. Reference made to description of UC.1-15 in document C.B. 1182 S.

Folio 331: Cruises of UC.71. Lieutenant Utke had made 12 cruises in UC.71 operating in the Bay of Biscay, the Irish Sea and the Channel.

Folios 332-332: Flanders Submarine Flotilla. List of submarines and officers in the Flanders Flotilla.

Folio 332: UC.80-120. Prisoner confirmed that these are bigger and faster than UC.16-79 class and that a number are on trials.

Folio 332: Zeebrugge: All vessels can now pass round the block-ships.

Folio 332: Ostend: Canal now cleared as Vindictive pushed out of way.

Folios 333-333: Battle Cruiser Von der Tann. The prisoner gave Gunnery Information about the range finders, fire control and firing procedures.

Folio 334: Battle of Jutland. Information on command of Battle Cruiser Squadron and damage sustained by Von der Tann.

Folio 334: Loss of Cruiser Yorck. Following the attack on Yarmouth, on 4 November 1914 Yorck struck two mines off the mouth of the Jade and sank within about 5 minutes with the loss 250 to 300 men.

Folios 334-335: Views on Submarine Warfare. Opinion on attacking hospital ships and unrestricted warfare on neutral ships.

Folio 335: Appendix I: Engineering Details of UC.11. Details of engines obtained from printed book recovered.

Folio 336: Appendix II: Partial List of names and their ranks of Crew of UC.11.

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C17848771/

Series information

ADM 137

Admiralty: Historical Section: Records used for Official History, First World War

See the series level description for more information about this record.

View series description

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

2,474,034 records

Within the department: ADM

Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies

5,287 records

Within the series: ADM 137

Admiralty: Historical Section: Records used for Official History, First World War

38 records

Within the piece: ADM 137/3060

Interrogations of survivors of captured and sunk German submarines, etc. (Described...

You are currently looking at the item: ADM 137/3060/30

Folios 327-336: CB number 01460 O.X.O, Copy number 423, UC.11 Interrogation of Survivor,...

Related records

Records that share similar topics with this record.