[Note 1] As with the rest of the completed UC III boats, UC-97 conducted no war patrols and sank no ships.

LCDR Lockwood spent the summer of 1919 coordinating port calls with mayors of cities on lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan.

[5] A clause of the armistice treaty required all German combat vessels held by Allied forces to be destroyed before 1 July 1921.

All armament, propulsion machinery, and navigation gear were removed from UC-97 before she was towed out into Lake Michigan by USS Hawk (IX-14) for use as a target during the annual summer training of naval reservists living in the Midwestern United States.

USS Wilmette fired 18 rounds from a 4 in (10 cm) gun in 15 minutes[5] to sink UC-97 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coast of Highland Park, Illinois on 7 June 1921.