SM UC-63
For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-63.
Career (German Empire) | |
---|---|
Name: | UC-63 |
Ordered: | 12 January 1916[1] |
Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen[2] |
Yard number: | 261[1] |
Laid down: | 3 April 1916[1] |
Launched: | 6 January 1917[1] |
Commissioned: | 30 January 1917[1] |
Fate: | torpedoed and sunk by HMS E52 on 1 November 1917[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | German Type UC II submarine |
Displacement: | 422 t (465 short tons), surfaced[2] 504 t (556 short tons), submerged |
Length: | 170 ft 1 in (51.84 m)[2] |
Beam: | 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)[3] |
Propulsion: | 2 × propeller shafts 2 × 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engines, 500 bhp (370 kW)[3] 2 × electric motors, 460 shp (340 kW)[3] |
Speed: | 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h), surfaced[2] 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h), submerged |
Endurance: | 8,000 nautical miles at 7 knots, surfaced[3] (15,000 km at 13 km/h) 59 nautical miles at 4 knots, submerged[3] (109 km at 7.4 km/h) |
Test depth: | 50 m (160 ft)[3] |
Complement: | 26[3] |
Armament: | 6 × 100 cm (39.4 in) mine tubes[3] 18 × UC 200 mines 3 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (2 bow/external; one stern) 7 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) KL/30 deck gun[2] |
Notes: | 30-second diving time[2] |
Service record | |
---|---|
Part of: |
Flandern Flotilla 27 Apr 1917 - 1 Nov 1917 |
Commanders: |
Oblt Karsten von Heydebreck[4] 30 Jan 1917 - 1 Nov 1917 |
Operations: | 9 patrols |
Victories: |
36 merchant ships sunk (35,900 GRT) 4 merchant ships damaged (4,639 GRT) |
SM UC-63 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 6 January 1917. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 30 January 1917 as SM UC-63.[Note 1] In 9 patrols UC-63 was credited with sinking 36 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-63 was torpedoed and sunk by HMS E52 off Goodwin Sands on 1 November 1917.[1]
Summary of Raiding Career
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
26 April 1917 | Amsteldjik | Netherlands | 186 | Sunk |
10 May 1917 | Gruno | Netherlands | 171 | Sunk |
27 June 1917 | Longbenton | United Kingdom | 924 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Frigate Bird | United Kingdom | 20 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Elsie | United Kingdom | 20 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Frances | United Kingdom | 20 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Glenelg | United Kingdom | 32 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Harbinger | United Kingdom | 39 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Rose of June | United Kingdom | 20 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | William And Betsy | United Kingdom | 21 | Sunk |
28 June 1917 | Frank | United Kingdom | 21 | Damaged |
28 June 1917 | Diligence | United Kingdom | 20 | Damaged |
30 June 1917 | Markersdal | Denmark | 1,640 | Sunk |
1 July 1917 | Advance | United Kingdom | 44 | Sunk |
1 July 1917 | Gleam | United Kingdom | 54 | Sunk |
1 July 1917 | Radiance | United Kingdom | 57 | Sunk |
31 July 1917 | Empress | United Kingdom | 2,914 | Sunk |
2 August 1917 | Young Bert | United Kingdom | 59 | Sunk |
6 August 1917 | Alfred | France | 107 | Sunk |
6 August 1917 | Fane | Norway | 1,119 | Sunk |
6 August 1917 | Zamora | United Kingdom | 3,639 | Damaged |
7 August 1917 | Onesta | Kingdom of Italy | 2,674 | Sunk |
8 August 1917 | Marie Jesus Protegez Nous | France | 46 | Sunk |
14 August 1917 | Thames | United Kingdom | 403 | Sunk |
14 August 1917 | Costanza | Kingdom of Italy | 2,545 | Sunk |
14 August 1917 | Luna | Norway | 959 | Damaged |
15 August 1917 | Ethel And Millie | United Kingdom | 58 | Sunk |
15 August 1917 | G & E | United Kingdom | 61 | Sunk |
15 August 1917 | Alice | United Kingdom | 25 | Sunk |
22 September 1917 | Italia | France | 627 | Sunk |
24 September 1917 | Perseverance | France | 2,873 | Sunk |
24 September 1917 | Europe | France | 2,839 | Sunk |
25 September 1917 | Dinorah | France | 4,208 | Sunk |
25 September 1917 | HMT James Seckar | Royal Navy | 255 | Sunk |
24 October 1917 | Ulfsborg | Denmark | 2,040 | Sunk |
28 October 1917 | Baron Garioch | United Kingdom | 1,831 | Sunk |
29 October 1917 | Marne | France | 979 | Sunk |
4 November 1917 | Lyra | Norway | 1,141 | Sunk |
25 November 1917 | Oriflamme | United Kingdom | 3,764 | Sunk |
4 December 1917 | Brigitta | United Kingdom | 2,084 | Sunk |
Notes
- ↑ "SM" stands for Seiner Majestäts (English: His Majesty's) and combined with "U" for Unterseeboot translates as "His Majesty's Submarine".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: UC-63". U-Boat War in World War I. Uboat.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Tarrant, p. 173
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Gardiner, p. 182
- ↑ "Karsten von Heydebreck". Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ↑ "SM UC-63 successes". UBoat.net. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
References
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8. OCLC 12119866.
- Tarrant, V.E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.
|