Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

UC-97

Explore the historic UC-97, a German submarine sunk during U.S. Navy target practice in Lake Michigan. Discover its unique legacy and protected status.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: UC-97
  • Type: Steel mine-laying submarine (German Type UC III U-boat)
  • Year Built: 1918
  • Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany
  • Dimensions: 184 ft (56.1 m) X 19 ft (5.8 m); 12 ft (3.7 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: 491 tons surfaced; 571 tons submerged
  • Depth at Wreck Site: 76 m / 250 ft
  • Location: 20 miles offshore from Highland Park, Illinois, Lake Michigan
  • Coordinates: Exact coordinates have not been made public.
  • Original Owners: U.S. Navy (formerly Imperial German Navy)

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The UC-97 was a German Type UC III mine-laying submarine, built during World War I. It was designed to deploy naval mines in enemy waters but never saw combat, as it was completed too late in the war.

Description

The UC-97 was built in 1918 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, one of Germany’s premier shipbuilders. Though it was launched before the end of World War I, the submarine was never commissioned into the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) before Germany’s surrender in November 1918.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was forced to surrender most of its remaining naval fleet, including several U-boats. The UC-97 was handed over to the Allies and became one of the six German submarines sent to the United States as war prizes.

In 1919-1920, UC-97 was used for a U.S. war bond tour, traveling through the Great Lakes as a display vessel to promote Victory Bonds following the war. The submarine visited several major ports, including Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cleveland, drawing large crowds.

By 1921, the submarine was no longer useful, and in compliance with naval disarmament agreements, the U.S. Navy decided to dispose of it. On June 7, 1921, the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Wilmette (formerly the ill-fated passenger steamer Eastland) used the unarmed submarine for gunnery practice. After several rounds of gunfire, the UC-97 sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

History

The wreck of the UC-97 was discovered in 1992 at a depth of approximately 250 feet (76 meters). However, the exact location of the wreck remains undisclosed, likely due to concerns about disturbance, looting, or protection under military grave status.

Significant Incidents

  • Located in 1992 by Al Olsen and Taras Lyssenko.
  • Exact coordinates have not been made public.

Final Disposition

UC-97 is a protected wreck under international and U.S. Navy jurisdiction. Its status as a historic war prize and military vessel limits access for recreational divers.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck remains undisclosed, and its protected status limits access for divers. It is considered one of Lake Michigan’s most historically significant shipwrecks.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”uc-97″ title=”References & Links”]

The UC-97 is one of the only German submarines ever to sail on the Great Lakes and serves as a unique piece of World War I naval history. Its post-war bond tour helped educate the public about Germany’s wartime submarine fleet, and its sinking as a naval target in 1921 marked the final chapter of a short but significant legacy. Though its wreck remains undisclosed, it is one of Lake Michigan’s most historically significant shipwrecks.

Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

By Canadian Post Card Company – Canadian Navy Heritage website. Image Negative Number PA-030314
Downloaded from http://www.navy.gc.ca/project_pride/photo_archive/photo_archive_description_page_e.asp?ImgNegNum=PA-030314, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9571901

Identification & Site Information

Vessel Type

The UC-97 was a German Type UC III mine-laying submarine, built during World War I. It was designed to deploy naval mines in enemy waters but never saw combat, as it was completed too late in the war.

Description & History

The UC-97 was built in 1918 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, one of Germany’s premier shipbuilders. Though it was launched before the end of World War I, the submarine was never commissioned into the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) before Germany’s surrender in November 1918.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was forced to surrender most of its remaining naval fleet, including several U-boats. The UC-97 was handed over to the Allies and became one of the six German submarines sent to the United States as war prizes.

In 1919-1920, UC-97 was used for a U.S. war bond tour, traveling through the Great Lakes as a display vessel to promote Victory Bonds following the war. The submarine visited several major ports, including Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cleveland, drawing large crowds

By 1921, the submarine was no longer useful, and in compliance with naval disarmament agreements, the U.S. Navy decided to dispose of it. On June 7, 1921, the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Wilmette (formerly the ill-fated passenger steamer Eastland) used the unarmed submarine for gunnery practice. After several rounds of gunfire, the UC-97sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Final Disposition

The wreck of the UC-97 was discovered in 1992 at a depth of approximately 250 feet (76 meters). However, the exact location of the wreck remains undisclosed, likely due to concerns about disturbance, looting, or protection under military grave status.

Located By & Date Found

  • Located in 1992 by Al Olsen and Taras Lyssenko.. 
  • Exact coordinates have not been made public.

Notmars & Advisories

  • UC-97 is a protected wreck under international and U.S. Navy jurisdiction.
  • Its status as a historic war prize and military vessel limits access for recreational divers.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

The UC-97 is one of the only German submarines ever to sail on the Great Lakes and serves as a unique piece of World War I naval history. Its post-war bond tour helped educate the public about Germany’s wartime submarine fleet, and its sinking as a naval target in 1921 marked the final chapter of a short but significant legacy. Though its wreck remains undisclosed, it is one of Lake Michigan’s most historically significant shipwrecks.

Keywords & Categories

Keywords: UC-97, German U-boat, Great Lakes submarines, WWI war prizes, USS Wilmette, Lake Michigan shipwrecks

Categories: Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, Military Shipwrecks, 20th-century shipwrecks, German Naval History

Glossary Terms: U-boat, Mine-Laying Submarine, War Bond Tour, Naval Target Practice

By Canadian Post Card Company – Canadian Navy Heritage website. Image Negative Number PA-030314
Downloaded from http://www.navy.gc.ca/project_pride/photo_archive/photo_archive_description_page_e.asp?ImgNegNum=PA-030314, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9571901
Sailors on board UC-97 participate in memorial services, laying a wreath in the Ambrose Channel, outside of New York Harbor, on 8 May 1919, to mark the anniversary of the sinking of the British steamship Lusitania and honor the memory of those lost at sea during the Great War. (Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph NH 111107)
German Submarine UC-97 docked In Racine, Wisconsin. (Racine Heritage Museum)
Title: German Submarines UC-97, UB-88, and U-117
Caption: These surrendered German U-boats are at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 29 April 1919.
Description:
Catalog #: NH 111110
Copyright Owner: Naval History and Heritage Command
Original Creator:
Original Date: Tue, Apr 29, 1919After this Year: 1910
Before this Year: 1919
Original Medium: BW Photo

German submarine U.C. 97 was launched in March 1918 and surrendered in November 1918; it then toured the Great Lakes; it arrived in Detroit and tied up at the foot of Randolph Street on Sunday June 29th, 1919. It was accompanied by U.S. submarine chasers S.C. 411 and S.C. 419; it stayed in Detroit until Saturday July 5th, 1919. In 1921, it was deliberately sunk in Lake Michigan by USS Wilmette; steamer Ste. Claire and S.C. 419 are in the background

uc-97 1921-06-07 07:55:00