SM_UC-61
SM UC-61 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916, laid down on 3 April 1916, and was launched on 11 November 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 13 December 1916 as SM UC-61.[Note 1] In five patrols UC-61 was credited with sinking or damaging 12 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid.[5] UC-61 was stranded at Wissant, south of Calais on 26 July 1917 on her way to mine Newhaven. The U-boat's crew flooded and scuttled their ship[1] before surrendering to French authorities. The wreckage silted up but in some years becomes visible at low tide offshore in Wissant.[6] As of 24 January 2019, the submarine had been partially visible since December 2018, and some locals were hopeful that due to shifting winds and tides, the submarine would be visible more often.[7][5]