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{{Short description|German Type UB I-class submarine}}
{{other ships|German submarine U-17}}
{{Good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|German Empire|naval}}
|Ship class=
|Ship name=''UB-17''
|Ship ordered=25 November 1914<ref name=UB-17>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=UB 17
|id=UB+17
|type=1sub
|access-date= 19 February 2009
}}</ref>
|Ship builder=[[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]<ref name=Tarrant-172>Tarrant, p. 172.</ref>
|Ship yard number=226<ref name=UB-17 />
|Ship laid down=21 February 1915<ref name=UB-17 />
|Ship launched=21 April 1915<ref name=UB-17 />
|Ship commissioned=4 May 1915<ref name=UB-17 />
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Disappeared after 11 March 1918<ref name=UB-17 /> Found in July 2013
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption={{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=22-23}}
|Ship class=[[Type UB I submarine]]
|Ship displacement=
*{{convert|127|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|141|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length={{convert|27.88|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|3.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|3.03|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*1 × [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]
*1 × [[Körting Hannover|Körting]] 4-cylinder [[diesel engine]], {{convert|44|kW|bhp|abbr=on|order=flip|lk=in}}
*1 × [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[electric motor]], {{convert|89|kW|shp|order=flip|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|7.45|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|6.24|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
*{{convert|1,500|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|5|kn}}
*{{convert|45|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}}
|Ship test depth={{convert|50|m|ft}}
|Ship complement=14
|Ship armament=
*2 × {{convert|45|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} bow [[torpedo tube]]s
*2 × torpedoes
*1 × {{convert|8|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[machine gun]]
|Ship notes=33-second diving time
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|is_multi=yes
|partof=
* [[Flanders Flotilla]]<ref name=UB-17 />
* 10 May 1915 – 15 March 1918
|codes=
|commanders=
* ''Oblt.'' [[Ralph Wenninger]]<ref name=UB-17 />
* 4 May 1915 – 6 February 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Arthur Metz
* 7 February – 9 March 1916
* ''Oblt.'' [[Werner Fürbringer]]
* 10–16 March 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Friedrich Moecke
* 17 March – 15 April 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Ralph Wenninger
* 16 April – 27 June 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Günther Suadicani
* 28 June – 7 July 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Hans Degetau
* 8 July – 3 December 1916
* ''Oblt.'' Ulrich Meier
* 4 December 1916 – 17 July 1917
* ''Oblt.'' Georg Niemeyer
* 18 July – 23 September 1917
* ''Oblt.'' Günther Wigankow
* 24–30 September 1917
* ''Oblt.'' Johannes Ries
* 1 October 1917 –  9 January 1918
* ''Oblt.'' Albert Branscheid
* 10 January – 15 March 1918
|operations=91 patrols<ref name=UB-17 />
|victories=
* 11 merchant ships sunk <br />({{GRT|1,812}})<ref name=UB-17 />
* 2 auxiliary warships sunk <br />({{GRT|374}})
* 1 merchant ship damaged <br />({{GRT|4,054}})
* 2 merchant ships taken as [[prize (law)|prize]] <br />({{GRT|316}} + Unknown GRT)
}}
|}

'''SM ''UB-17''''' was a German [[Type UB I submarine|Type UB I]] [[submarine]] or [[U-boat]] in the [[German Imperial Navy]] ({{langx|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) during World War I. The submarine disappeared during a patrol in March 1918.

''UB-17'' was ordered in November 1914 and was [[keel laying|laid down]] at the [[AG Weser]] shipyard in [[Bremen]] in February 1915. ''UB-17'' was a little under {{convert|28|m|ft}} in length and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] between {{convert|127|and|141|t|LT}}, depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two [[torpedo]]es for her two bow [[torpedo tube]]s and was also armed with a deck-mounted [[machine gun]]. ''UB-17'' was broken into sections and shipped by rail to [[Antwerp]] for reassembly. She was [[launch (ship)|launch]]ed in April 1915 and [[commission (ship)|commission]]ed as SM ''UB-17'' in May.<ref group=Note>"SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" ({{langx|en|His Majesty's}}) and combined with the ''U'' for ''Unterseeboot'' would be translated as ''His Majesty's Submarine''.</ref>

''UB-17'' spent her entire career in the [[Flanders Flotilla]] and sank 13 ships, most of them British fishing vessels. She also captured two ships as prizes and damaged one [[tanker (ship)|tanker]]. On 11 March 1918, ''UB-17'' departed for a patrol in the [[Hoofden]] but was never seen again. There have been several suggestions as to ''UB-17''{{'}}s fate, but none match the U-boat's operation details.

In July 2013, ''UB-17'' was found off England's east coast, near the [[Suffolk|county of Suffolk]] by archaeologists.<ref name="spiegel.de">{{cite news|title=German Subs: Sunken WWI U-Boats a Bonanza for Historians|newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=19 July 2013 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/british-archaeologists-explore-wwi-submarine-graveyard-off-uk-coast-a-911648.html|publisher=spiegel.de|access-date=21 July 2013|last1=Thadeusz |first1=Frank }}</ref>

== Design and construction ==
After the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]]'s rapid advance along the North Sea coast in the earliest stages of World War I, the [[German Imperial Navy]] found itself without suitable submarines that could be operated in the narrow and shallow seas off [[Flanders]].<!-- advance, caught w/o equipment --><ref name=Miller-46>Miller, pp. 46–47.</ref><ref name=Karau-48>Karau, p. 48.</ref><!-- nature of waters off Flanders --> Project 34, a design effort begun in mid-August 1914,<ref name=Karau-48 /> produced the [[Type UB I submarine|Type UB I]] design: a small submarine that could be shipped by rail to a port of operations and quickly assembled. Constrained by railroad size limitations, the UB I design called for a boat about {{convert|28|m|ft}} long and displacing about {{convert|125|t|LT}} with two [[torpedo tube]]s.<ref name=Miller-46 /><ref group=Note>A further refinement of the design—replacing the torpedo tubes with [[mine (naval)|mine]] chutes but changing little else—evolved into the [[German Type UC I submarine|Type UC I]] coastal [[minelayer|minelaying]] submarine. See: Miller, p. 458.</ref>

''UB-17'' and [[sister boat]] {{SMU|UB-16||2}} comprised an order of two submarines ordered on 25 November from [[AG Weser]] of [[Bremen]], a little more than three months after planning for the class began.<ref name=Miller-46 /><ref name=Williamson>Williamson, p. 12.</ref> ''UB-17'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] by Weser in Bremen on 21 February 1915.<ref name=UB-17 /> As built, ''UB-17'' was {{convert|27.88|m|ftin}} long, {{convert|3.15|m|ftin}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]], and had a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|3.03|m|ftin}}. She had a single {{convert|44|kW|bhp|order=flip|adj=on}} [[Körting Hannover|Körting]] 4-cylinder [[diesel engine]] for surface travel, and a single {{convert|89|kW|shp|order=flip|adj=on}} [[Siemens-Schuckert]] [[electric motor]] for underwater travel, both attached to a single [[propeller shaft (ship)|propeller shaft]]. Her top speeds were {{convert|7.45|kn}}, surfaced, and {{convert|6.24|kn}}, submerged.<ref name=Tarrant-172 /> At more moderate speeds, she could sail up to {{convert|1,500|nmi|lk=in}} on the surface before refueling, and up to {{convert|45|nmi}} submerged before recharging her batteries. Like all boats of the class, ''UB-17'' was rated to a diving depth of {{convert|50|m|ft}}, and could completely submerge in 33 seconds.

''UB-17'' was armed with two {{convert|45|cm|in|1|sp=us|adj=on}} [[torpedo]]es in two bow [[torpedo tube]]s. She was also outfitted for a single {{convert|8|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} [[machine gun]] on deck. ''UB-17''{{'}}s standard complement consisted of one officer and thirteen enlisted men.<ref name=Karau-49>Karau, p. 49.</ref>

After work on ''UB-17'' was complete at the Weser yard, she was readied for rail shipment. The process of shipping a UB I boat involved breaking the submarine down into what was essentially a [[complete knock down|knock down kit]]. Each boat was broken into approximately fifteen pieces and loaded onto eight railway [[flatcar]]s.<ref name=Karau-49 /> In early 1915, the sections of ''UB-17'' were shipped to [[Antwerp]] for assembly in what was typically a two- to three-week process. After ''UB-17'' was assembled and [[launch (ship)|launch]]ed on 21 April,<ref name=UB-17 /> she was loaded on a barge and taken through canals to [[Bruges]] where she underwent trials.<ref name=Karau-49 />

== Early career ==
The submarine was [[commission (ship)|commission]]ed into the German Imperial Navy as SM ''UB-17'' on 4 May 1915 under the command of [[Kapitänleutnant]] (''Kapt.'') {{ill|Ralph Wenninger|fr}},<ref name=UB-17 /> a 25-year-old former skipper of {{SMU|UB-11||2}}.<ref name=wenninger>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Ralph Wenninger
|id=398
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref><ref group=Note>Wenninger was in the Navy's April 1907 cadet class with 34 other future U-boat captains, including [[Werner Fürbringer]], [[Heino von Heimburg]], [[Hans Howaldt]], and [[Otto Steinbrinck]]. See: {{cite Uboat.net
|name=Crew 4/07
|id=4%2F07
|type=1crew
|access-date=12 March 2009
}}</ref> On 10 May, ''UB-17'' joined the [[Flanders Flotilla]] ({{langx|de|U-boote des Marinekorps U-Flotille Flandern}}),<ref name=UB-17 /> which had been organized on 29 March.<ref name=Karau-49 /> When ''UB-17'' joined the flotilla, Germany was in the midst of its [[first submarine offensive]], begun in February. During this campaign, enemy vessels in the German-defined war zone ({{langx|de|Kriegsgebiet}}), which encompassed all waters around the United Kingdom, were to be sunk. Vessels of neutral countries were not to be attacked unless they definitively could be identified as enemy vessels operating under a [[false flag]].<ref name=Tarrant-14>Tarrant, p. 14.</ref>

[[File:German Submarine Zone February 1915 after Reynolds et al.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The German war zone ({{langx|de|Kriegsgebiet}}) for the [[first submarine offensive]].]]
On 18 July, Wenninger torpedoed the British [[tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''Batoum'' just off the [[Southwold]] lighthouse. Despite the loss of six men, ''Batoum''{{'}}s crew was able to beach the ship, listed as {{GRT|4054|disp=long}}.<ref name=bato>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Batoum (d.)
|id=668
|type=1ship
|access-date=18 March 2009
}}</ref><ref group=Note>After ''Batoum'' was refloated, repaired, and re-entered service, she was torpedoed and sunk by {{SMU|U-61||2}} in June 1917.</ref> Early the next month, on 6 August, Wenninger and ''UB-17'' sank four British fishing vessels while patrolling in the [[Great Yarmouth|Yarmouth]]–[[Lowestoft]] area.<!-- dates --><ref name=UB17-ships /><ref name=Helg-4fv>Helgason, Guðmundur. {{cite Uboat.net
|id=1021
|name=C.e.s.
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=7307
|name=Fisherman
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=7087
|name=Hesperus
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=3083
|name=Ivan
|type=1ship
}} Retrieved on 19 March 2009.</ref><!-- locations --> All four of the sunken ships were [[smack (ship)|smack]]s—sailing vessels traditionally rigged with [[red ochre]] sails<ref name=Pen>{{cite web | author = Penwith District Council | author-link = Penwith District Council | title = Boat Types | url = http://old.penwith.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=23907 | publisher = Penwith District Council | location = [[Penzance]] | year = 2009 | access-date = 19 March 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>—which were stopped, boarded by crewmen from ''UB-17'', and sunk with explosives.<ref name=FVWWI>{{cite web |title=British fishing vessels lost at sea due to enemy action: 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrFV1914-16.htm | work = World War 1 at Sea | date = 9 January 2009|access-date=19 March 2009 }} The information on the website is extracted from {{cite book |title=British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918 | publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]] | year = 1919 }}</ref>

On 18 August, the chief of the ''[[Admiralstab]]'', Admiral [[Henning von Holtzendorff]], issued orders suspending the first offensive in response to American demands after German submarines had sunk the [[Cunard Line]] steamer {{RMS|Lusitania||2}} in May 1915 and other high-profile sinkings in August and September. Holtzendorff's directive ordered all U-boats out of the English Channel and the [[South-Western Approaches]] and required that all submarine activity in the North Sea be conducted strictly along [[prize regulations]].<ref name=Tarrant-21>Tarrant, pp. 21–22.</ref> Six days later, ''UB-17'' seized the Belgian sailing vessel ''Leon Mathilde'' as a [[prize (law)|prize]] off [[Ostend]].<ref name=leon>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Leon Mathilde (p.)
|id=3567
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref>

Enemy naval targets were not subject to the prize regulations, so on 23 September, Wenninger torpedoed and sank the {{ship|French trawler|Saint Pierre I||2}}, a [[trawler (naval)|trawler]] of the [[French Navy]] off the Dyck lightship. There was only one survivor from the 303 GRT ship's eighteen-man crew.<ref name=sain>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Saint Pierre I
|id=5339
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> Three months later, Wenninger misidentified the 71 GRT French fishing ship ''Jesus Maria'' as a destroyer. ''UB-17'' launched a torpedo which struck the ship and killed all six men of ''Jesus Maria''{{'}}s crew.<ref name=jesu>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Jesus Maria
|id=3155
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009

}}</ref>

On 31 January 1916, in the Lowestoft–[[Aldeburgh]] area, ''UB-17'' sank an additional four fishing ships: three British, and one Belgian.<!-- dates --><ref name=UB17-ships /><ref name=Helg-4fv-2>Helgason, Guðmundur. {{cite Uboat.net
|id=470
|name=Artur Wilhelm
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=2851
|name=Hilda
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=7272
|name=Marguerite
|type=1ship
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=4996
|name=Radium
|type=1ship
}} Retrieved on 19 March 2009.</ref><!-- locations --> The next day, ''UB-17''{{'}}s war journal ({{langx|de|Kriegstagebücher}} or {{lang|de|KTB}}) records the torpedoing of the 957 GRT British steamer ''Franz Fischer'' off the [[Kentish Knock (England)|Kentish Knock]].<ref name=fran>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Franz Fischer
|id=7399
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> British records list the cargo ship as being sunk by bombs from a [[zeppelin]].<ref name=fran /><ref name=MVWWI>{{cite web |title=British merchant vessels lost at sea due to enemy action: 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrMS1914-16.htm | work = World War 1 at Sea | publisher = Naval-History.net | date = 9 January 2009|access-date=19 March 2009 }} The information on the website is extracted from {{cite book |title=British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918 | publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]] | year = 1919 }}</ref> ''Franz Fischer'' was the last ship sunk with Wenninger in command. On 7 February, he was relieved by [[Oberleutnant zur See]] (''Oblt.'') Arthur Metz for a month,<ref name=metz>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Arthur Metz
|id=201
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> ''Kapt.'' [[Werner Fürbringer]] for a week,<ref name="fürbringer">{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Werner Fürbringer
|id=81
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> and ''Oblt.'' Friedrich Moecke for another month.<ref name=moecke>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Friedrich Moecke
|id=209
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> Wenninger resumed command on 16 April.<ref name=wenninger />

In the meantime, Germany had begun its second submarine offensive against merchant shipping at the end of February in reaction to the British blockade of Germany. By early 1916, the British blockade was having an effect on Germany and her imports. The Royal Navy had stopped and seized more cargo destined for Germany than the quantity of cargo sunk by German U-boats in the first submarine offensive.<ref name=Tarrant-25>Tarrant, pp. 25–26.</ref> ''UB-17'' sank no ships during this offensive,<ref name=UB17-ships /> which was called off near the end of April by Admiral [[Reinhardt Scheer]], the commander-in-chief of the [[High Seas Fleet]].<ref>Tarrant, p. 30.</ref>

== Grand Fleet ambush attempts ==
In mid-May, Scheer completed plans to draw out part of the British [[Grand Fleet]].<ref name=GP-97>Gibson and Prendergast, p. 97.</ref> The German High Seas Fleet would sortie for a raid on [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]],<ref name=Tarrant-32>Tarrant, p. 32.</ref> luring the British fleet across {{"'}}nests' of submarines and mine-fields".<ref name=GP-97 /> In support of the operation, ''UB-17'' and five other Flanders boats set out at midnight 30/31 May to form a line {{convert|18|nmi}} east of Lowestoft.<ref name=Tarrant-32 /><ref group=Note>The other five boats for the May action were {{SMU|UB-6||2}}, {{SMU|UB-10||2}}, {{SMU|UB-12||2}}, ''UB-16'', and {{SMU|UB-29||2}}.</ref> This group was to intercept and attack the British light forces from [[Harwich]], should they sortie north to join the battle.<ref name=Tarrant-32 /> Unfortunately for the Germans, the [[British Admiralty]] had intelligence reports of the departure of the submarines which, coupled with an absence of attacks on shipping, aroused British suspicions.<ref name=GP-97 />

A delayed departure of the German High Seas Fleet for its sortie (which had been redirected to the [[Skagerrak]]) and the failure of several of the U-boats stationed to the north to receive the coded message warning of the British advance caused Scheer's anticipated ambush to be a "complete and disappointing failure".<ref name=Tarrant-32 /> In ''UB-16''{{'}}s group, only ''UB-10'' sighted the Harwich forces, and they were too far away to mount an attack.<ref name=Tarrant-32 /> The failure of the submarine ambush to sink any British capital ships allowed the full Grand Fleet to engage the numerically inferior High Seas Fleet in the [[Battle of Jutland]], which took place 31 May – 1 June.<ref>Tarrant, pp. 32–33.</ref>

Wenninger left ''UB-17'' for good on 27 June and was succeeded by ''Kapt.'' Günther Suadicani, who commanded the boat for just under two weeks.<ref name=UB-17 /> He was followed by ''Oblt.'' Hans Degetau, who commanded the boat from July to December.<ref name=degetau>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Hans Degetau
|id=48
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> Under Degetau's leadership, ''UB-17'' added another ship to her tally when she captured and sank the Dutch ship ''Zeearend'' on 1 September. The 462 GRT steamer was en route to London from [[Rotterdam]] with a cargo of [[piece goods]] when she was sunk {{convert|19|nmi}} from the Mass Lightship.<ref name=zeea>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Zeearend
|id=6622
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> ''UB-17''{{'}}s next success was the capture of the Norwegian steamer ''Birgit'' in the [[Hoofden]] area under the command of ''Kapt.'' Ulrich Meier, who had taken command on 4 December.<ref name=birg>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Birgit (p.)
|id=6811
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref><ref name=meier>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Ulrich Meier
|id=198
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> ''Birgit'' was the last success for ''UB-17'' for the next twelve months.<ref name=UB17-ships />

== Conversion to minelayer ==
[[File:Smack-brightlingsea.jpg|thumb|right|Ten of ''UB-17''{{'}}s sixteen victims were [[smack (ship)|fishing smacks]], traditionally outfitted with [[red ochre]] sails, like this contemporary smack.<ref name=Pen />]]
''UB-17'' and three sister boats, ''UB-10'', ''UB-12'', and ''UB-16'', were all converted to [[minelayer|minelaying]] submarines by 1918. The conversion involved removing the bow section containing the pair of torpedo tubes from each U-boat and replacing it with a new bow containing four [[mine (naval)|mine]] chutes capable of carrying two mines each. In the process, the boats were lengthened to {{convert|105|ft|m}}, and the displacement increased to {{convert|147|t|LT}} on the surface, and {{convert|161|t|LT}} below the surface. Exactly when this conversion was performed on ''UB-17'' is not reported, but ''UB-17'' was at the dockyard from November 1916 to January 1917,<ref name=niemer>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Hans Ewald Niemer
|id=224
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref> and it is possible ''UB-17'' was converted during this same timeframe.

While Meier remained in command of ''UB-17'', [[Wilhelm II of Germany|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] personally approved a [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)#1917: Resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare|resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare]] to begin on 1 February 1917 to help force the British to make peace.<ref>Tarrant, pp. 45–46.</ref> Although the new rules of engagement specified that no ship was to be left afloat,<ref>Tarrant, p. 46.</ref> ''UB-17'' did not contribute to the effort until December 1917, when she captured and sank a single fishing smack off Aldeburgh under the direction of ''Oblt.'' Johannes Ries.<!-- attributed to UB-17 --><ref name=forw>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Forward
|id=2240
|type=1ship
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref><ref name=ries>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Johannes Ries
|id=268
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref><!-- rank --> In January 1918, Ries was replaced by ''Oblt.'' Albert Branscheid.<ref name=branscheid>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Albert Branscheid
|id=34
|type=1comm
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref>

== Sinking ==
On 11 March 1918, Branscheid led ''UB-17'' out from [[Zeebrugge]] for a patrol in the Hoofden and the U-boat was never seen again. One postwar account tells of two British seaplanes that bombed a U-boat in the North Sea on 12 March, but, according to author Dwight Messimer, the account provides no details to support the claim.<ref name=Mess-UB17>Messimer, p. 136.</ref> Messimer also discounts an account that attributes ''UB-17''{{'}}s sinking to British destroyer {{HMS|Onslow|1916|2}} on 25 February south of Portland by pointing out that ''UB-17'' was in port in Zeebrugge on that date.<ref name=Mess-UB17 /> A German postwar study also rejected a British claim that destroyers {{HMS|Thruster|1917|6}}, {{HMS|Retriever|1917|2}}, and {{HMS|Sturgeon|1917|2}} sank ''UB-17'' at 21:25 on 11 March at position {{coord|57|7|N|2|43|E}}<!-- not in title, because not accepted by all as correct --> because ''UB-17'' didn't depart Zeebrugge until 30 minutes after the attack took place.<ref name=Mess-UB17 /> Whatever the specific cause of ''UB-17''{{'}}s demise, all eighteen crewmen on board the submarine were killed.<ref name=UB-17 />

==Discovery==
In July 2013, archaeologists found the remains of 44 submarines, including UB-17, off the United Kingdom's southern and east coasts, near the [[Suffolk|county of Suffolk]]. The find was made up mostly of vessels from the German Imperial Navy dating to World War I. ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' reported divers located 41 German U-boats, and three of English submarines, found at depths of up to 50 feet, off England's southern and eastern coasts.<ref name="spiegel.de"/>

== Summary of raiding history ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Ships sunk or damaged by SM ''UB-17''<ref name=UB17-ships>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=UB 17
|id=ub17
|type=1boat
|access-date=19 March 2009
}}</ref>
! Date
! Name
! Nationality
! Tonnage<ref group=Note name=tonnage>Merchant ship tonnages are in [[gross register tons]]. Military vessels are listed by tons [[displacement (ship)|displacement]]</ref>
! Fate
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|July|18|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in July 1915#18 July|''Batoum'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,054
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|August|6|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#6 August|''C.E.S.'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|47
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|August|6|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#6 August|''Fisherman'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|24
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|August|6|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#6 August|''Hesperus'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|47
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|August|6|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#6 August|''Ivan'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|44
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|August|24|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1915#24 August|''Leon Mathilde'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Belgium}}
|align="right"|Unknown
|align="left" |Captured as prize
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|September|23|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1915#23 September|''Saint Pierre I'']]
|align="left" |{{navy|France}}
|align="right"|303
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1915|November|9|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in November 1915#9 November|''Jesus Maria'']]
|align="left" |{{navy|France}}
|align="right"|71
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|January|31|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1916#31 January|''Artur Wilhelm'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|56
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|January|31|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1916#31 January|''Hilda'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|44
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|January|31|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1916#31 January|''Marguerite'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Belgium}}
|align="right"|32
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|January|31|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in January 1916#31 January|''Radium'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|59
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|February|1|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in February 1916#1 February|''Franz Fischer'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|957
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|September|1|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1916#1 September|''Zeearend'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Netherlands}}
|align="right"|462
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1916|December|15|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1916#15 December|''Birgit'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|316
|align="left" |Captured as prize
|-
|align="right"|{{dts|1917|December|10|format=dmy}}
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1917#10 December|''Forward'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|40
|align="left" |Sunk
|-class="sortbottom" style="background: #f2f2f2"
|
|
|align="right"|<ref group=Note>Tonnage of ships captured as prizes is included in tonnage sunk.</ref>'''Sunk:<br />Damaged:<br />Total:'''
|align="right"|'''2,502<br />4,054<br />6,556'''
|
|}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Bendert
|first=Harald
|title=Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal
|location=[[Hamburg]]
|publisher=[[Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH]]
|year=2000
|isbn=3-8132-0713-7
|language=de
}}
*{{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|series=German Warships 1815–1945
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}
* {{cite book | last = Compton-Hall | first = Richard |title=Submarines at War, 1914–18 | location = [[Penzance]] | publisher= Periscope Publishing | year = 2004 | orig-year = 1991 | isbn = 978-1-904381-21-1 | oclc = 57639764 }}
* {{cite book | editor1-last=Gardiner | editor1-first=Robert | editor2-last=Gray | editor2-first=Randal |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | publisher = [[Naval Institute Press]] | year = 1985 | isbn = 978-0-87021-907-8 | oclc = 12119866 }}
* {{Gibson}}
* {{cite book | last = Grant | first = Robert M. |title=U-boat Hunters: Code Breakers, Divers and the Defeat of the U-boats, 1914–1918 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-59114-889-0 | oclc = 54688427 }}
* {{cite book | last = Karau | first = Mark D. |title=Wielding the Dagger: the MarineKorps Flandern and the German War Effort, 1914–1918 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | publisher = [[Praeger Publishing|Praeger]] | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-0-313-32475-8 | oclc = 51204317 }}
* {{cite book | last = Messimer | first = Dwight R. |title=Verschollen: World War I U-boat losses | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-55750-475-3 | oclc = 231973419 }}
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = David |title= The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World | location = [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] | publisher = MBI Pub. Co | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7603-1345-9 | oclc = 50208951 }}
* {{cite book | last = Tarrant | first = V. E. |title=The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 1989 | isbn = 9781854095206 | oclc = 20338385 }}
* {{cite book | last = Williamson | first = Gordon|author-link=Gordon Williamson (writer)|title=U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy | location = [[Oxford]] | publisher = Osprey | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-84176-362-0 | oclc = 48627495 }}
{{Refend}}

{{German Type UB I submarines}}
{{March 1918 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ub017}}
[[Category:German Type UB I submarines]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:Ships built in Belgium]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1915]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1918]]

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Bulgarian submarine Podvodnik No. 18 (edit)
French submarine Alose (1904) (edit)
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SM U-61 (edit)
SM UB-1 (edit)
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SM UB-12 (edit)
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SM UB-6 (edit)
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SS Inkosi (1902) (edit)
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