German submarine U-63 (1939)
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-63 |
| Ordered: | 21 July 1937 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 262 |
| Laid down: | 2 January 1939 |
| Launched: | 6 December 1939 |
| Commissioned: | 18 January 1940 |
| Fate: | Sunk, south of the Shetland Islands by British warships, February 1940 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | IIC |
| Type: | Coastal submarine |
| Displacement: | 291 t (286 long tons) surfaced 341 t (336 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 43.90 m (144 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) |
| Draft: | 3.82 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × propeller shafts 2 × MWM four-stroke diesel engines, 700 shp (520 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motor, 410 shp (310 kW) |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 1,900 nautical miles (3,500 km; 2,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–42 nmi (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 22 men |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
Kriegsmarine: 1st U-boat Flotilla (Training) 1st U-boat Flotilla (Front or operational boat) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Günther Lorentz 18 January–25 February 1940 |
| Operations: |
One: 17–25 February 1940 |
| Victories: | One ship sunk, of 3,840 GRT |
German submarine U-63 was a Type IIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in the Second World War. She was built by Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel. Ordered on 21 July 1937, she was laid down on 2 January 1939 as yard number 262. She was launched on 6 December 1939 and commissioned on 18 January 1940 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Günther Lorentz.
U-63 was initially assigned to the 1st U-boat Flotilla during her training period, until 1 February 1940. She stayed with that organization until her sinking.
Patrol
U-63 left the German island of Helgoland (also known as 'Heligoland'), on 17 February 1940.[2] She, along with five other U-boats, took part in Operation Nordmark, a reconnaissance mission for the German Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and Cruiser Admiral Hipper (for what proved to be an unsuccessful sortie). It took place in the vicinity of the Orkney and Shetland Islands between 18 and 20 February.[3]
The boat sank the Santos off Kirkwall, Orkney, on 24 February 1940.
Fate
U-63 was sunk on 24 or 25 February 1940 by a mix of depth charges and torpedoes from the British warships HMS Escort, HMS Inglefield and HMS Imogen and the submarine HMS Narwhal south of Shetland. The approximate location of the wreck site is 58°40′N 00°10′W / 58.667°N 0.167°WCoordinates: 58°40′N 00°10′W / 58.667°N 0.167°W.
One man died, there were 24 survivors. Those who survived spent the remainder of the war as POWs.[3]
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 February 1940 | Santos |  Sweden |
3,840 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 67.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-63". German U-boats of World War II - uboat.net.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIC boat U-63". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIC boat U-63". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- U-63 at ubootwaffe.net
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 63". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2014-12-06.
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