On June 7th, 1921, the USS Wilmette (formerly the SS Eastland) steamed from her berth at the end of Randolph Street in Chicago and headed out onto Lake Michigan. Today was to be a special day full of anticipation and excitement. The USS Wilmette would be tasked with the sinking of a German submarine! The story of this fated German U-Boat will explain how and why this submarine currently lays at rest on the bottom of Lake Michigan, punctured by mortal blows from the USS Wilmette's 4-inch gun.

The UC-97 was a minelaying submarine of the UC-90 class or UCIII type, with a surface displacement of 491 tons (submerged 571 tons). She was 184 feet 3 inches in length with a beam of 18 feet 9 inches, draft of 12 feet 6 inches and could travel 11.5 knots on the surface, while maintaining 6.6 knots submerged. Designed as a deadly warship, she was equipped with three 20 inch torpedo tubes, one 3.4 inch gun, 6 mine tubes and could carry 14 mines. A complement of 32 crewmen would have operated the submarine under normal conditions.

The keel of this vessel was laid down in late 1917 at the ship building yards of Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany. The UC-97 was launched on March 17, 1918 to be outfitted and completed for anticipated active duty in late 1918. She was never commissioned in the Imperial German Navy, as the armistice of November 11th ended hostilities and the UC-97 was surrendered to the Allied Forces.

The United States Navy expressed interest in acquiring several surrendered German submarines for display purposes in conjunction with a Victory Bond drive and to enable American crews to learn their supposed secrets. The United States was allotted six U-boats for this purpose, with the understanding that they would be destroyed upon the conclusion of the bond campaign: U-111 (original allotment was for the unseaworthy U-164), U-117, U-140, UB-88, UB-148, and the UC-97. American officers and sailors went to Harwich, England and took possession of the submarines on March 23rd, 1919. The submarines were placed in special commissions for the voyage across the Atlantic. Those commissions were:

U-111 was commanded by Lt. Commander Freeland A. Daubin.
U-117 was commanded by Lt. Commander Aquilla G. Dibrell.
U-140 was commanded by Lt. Commander G. A. Hulings.
UB-88 was commanded by Lt. Commander Joseph L. Nielson.
UB-148 was commanded by Lt. Commander Harold T. Smith.
UC-97 was commanded by Lt. Commander Holbrook Gibson.

The Americans crews worked diligently to familiarize themselves with the German war machines and prepare these vessels for the trip to the United States. They were now members of the 'Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force'.

The Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force
On April 3rd, 1919, four of the six submarines (U-117, UB-88, UB-148 and UC-97) departed Harwich, England escorted by the Bushnell (Submarine Tender No. 2). The U-111 was a late substitution for the U-164 and was not outfitted in time, departing England on April 7th. Accounts of the U-140's journey are conflicting, with the U-140 arriving in New York in May of 1919.

The Bushnell towed the UC-97 initially while her crew worked to repair faulty machinery. By late afternoon of the first day with her diesel engines operating again, the UC-97 tossed off her tow line and proceeded under her own power. The task unit steamed to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, then to Bermuda before arriving in New York on April 27th, 1919 after a rough 24-day voyage.

Not long after reaching New York, the submarines became the center stage attraction for a horde of tourists, reporters, and photgraphers, as well as for technicians from the Navy Department, submarine builders, and equipment suppliers. After a lengthy port call, orders arrived dispersing five of the six U-boats to different sections of the American coasts and waterways for Victory Bond visits to ports along the way. Their assigned regions were:

U-111 - East Coast, New England;
U-117 - East Coast, New York to Savannah, GA;
U-140 - New York City;
UB-88 - Gulf Coast states, Mississippi River to Memphis, Canal Zone, and the West Coast;
UB-148 - New York and Vicinity;
UC-97 - Great Lakes Region.

The Great Lakes
The UC-97 left New York, under the command of Lt. Commander Charles A. Lockwood, to traverse the locks of the Canadian-controlled St. Lawrence. It is a time-honored naval traditional practice for a man-of-war to fly the Union Jack at the fore. This caused trouble and debate at each Canadian port of call up the St. Lawrence river. Lt. Commander Lockwood was later vindicated by the Canadian naval officers who applauded his pertinacious observance of this tradition. Lt. Commander Lockwood later became the Commander of Submarines, Pacific Fleet during World War II.

Once the UC-97 entered the Great Lakes, she began a whirlwind tour to American ports, large and small, along the shores of Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan. Though scheduled to visit Lake Superior ports as well, the U-boat had to cut short its voyage because of wear on the engines. She started back down the coast of Lake Michigan toward Chicago, arriving on August 25th, 1919. Once in Chicago, her crew turned the UC-97 over to the Commandant, 9th Naval District where she was laid up at the Great Lakes Naval Station. The UC-97 spent nearly two years at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Final Dive
Prior to using the UC-97 for target practice, she was stripped of all parts of value (armaments, propulsion and navigational equipment) and prepared for her final voyage. On the morning of June 7th, 1921, the UC-97 was towed by the USS Hawk out into Lake Michigan. The USS Wilmette was present as her final executioner. Aboard the Wilmette was Gunner's Mate J.O. Sabin, who fired the first American shell in World War I, and Gunner's Mate A.F. Anderson, the man who fired the first American torpedo of the conflict. Out of the thirteen shells fired, ten found their mark and in ten minutes the UC-97 took her last, long dive.

The wreckage of the UC-97 was located in 1992 by A&T Recovery, but it's location has not been made public. The hulk lays at a depth of approximately 250 feet. The Navy's records indicate that the location of it's sinking was 42 deg. 10' N, 87 deg. 20' W, which would place it about 20 miles east of Highland Park, IL. A&T Recovery side scanned over 140 square miles of Lake Michigan to find the submarine's location. Future plans for the UC-97 remain to be seen.

Source: DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, Vol. VII.
Source: TRUE TALES OF THE GREAT LAKES, DWIGHT BOYER.
Source: DOWN TO THE SEA IN SUBS, CHARLES A. LOCKWOOD, VICE ADMIRAL, U.S.N. (RET.)
PUBLISHED BY W.W. NORTON & COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK, 1967