SM UB-63

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-63.

History
UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-63.
German Empire
Name:	UB-63
Ordered:	20 May 1916^[1]
Builder:	AG Vulcan, Hamburg
Cost:	3,279,000 German Papiermark
Yard number:	88
Launched:	26 May 1917^[2]
Commissioned:	23 July 1917^[2]
Fate:	sunk 21 January 1918 by British warships at 56°10′N 2°0′E / 56.167°N 2.000°E / 56.167; 2.000Coordinates: 56°10′N 2°0′E / 56.167°N 2.000°E / 56.167; 2.000^[2]
General characteristics ^[2]
Class and type:	German Type UB III submarine
Displacement:	508 t (500 long tons) surfaced 639 t (629 long tons) submerged
Length:	55.52 m (182 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Beam:	5.76 m (18 ft 11 in)
Draught:	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Propulsion:	2 × propeller shaft 2 × MAN four-stroke 6-cylinder diesel engines, 1,085 bhp (809 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motors, 780 shp (580 kW)
Speed:	13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) surfaced 7.8 knots (14.4 km/h; 9.0 mph) submerged
Range:	8,420 nmi (15,590 km; 9,690 mi) at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) surfaced 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	50 m (160 ft)
Complement:	3 officers, 31 men^[2]
Armament:	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) with 10 torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun
Service record
Part of:	Imperial German Navy: II Flotilla 4–30 September 1917 V Flotilla 30 September 1917 – 14 January 1918
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rudolf Gebeschus^[3] 23 July 1917 – 14 January 1918
Operations:	3 patrols
Victories:	2 merchant ships sunk (4,481 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (1,113 GRT) 1 merchant ship captured as a prize (3,290 GRT)

SM UB-63 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 23 July 1917 as SM UB-63.^{[nb 1]}

UB-63 was sunk on 28 January 1918 by British warships HMS W.S. Bailey and HMS Fort George at 56°10′N 2°0′E / 56.167°N 2.000°E / 56.167; 2.000 with depth charges. All 33 crew members perished in the attack.^[2]

Construction

Main article: German Type UB III submarine

UB-63 was ordered by the GIN on 20 May 1916.

She was built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg and following just under a year of construction, launched at Hamburg on 26 May 1917. UB-63 was commissioned later that same year . Like all Type UB III submarines, UB-63 carried 10 torpedoes and was armed with a 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun. UB-63 would carry a crew of up to 3 officer and 31 men and had a cruising range of 8,420 nautical miles (15,590 km; 9,690 mi). UB-63 had a displacement of 508 t (500 long tons) while surfaced and 639 t (629 long tons) when submerged. Her engines enabled her to travel at 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph) when surfaced and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) when submerged.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[4]
15 September 1917	Santaren	United Kingdom	4,256	Sunk
3 November 1917	Haelen	Belgium	3,290	Captured as a prize
8 November 1917	Lindhardt	Denmark	225	Sunk
15 November 1917	Stargard	Norway	1,113	Damaged

Notes

↑ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.

References

↑ Rössler 1979, p. 60.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Gröner 1991, pp. 25-30.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boat commanders: Rudolf Gebeschus". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 63". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

Bibliography

Bendert, Harald (2000). Die UB-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine, 1914-1918. Einsätze, Erfolge, Schicksal (in German). Hamburg: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH. ISBN 3-8132-0713-7.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel (London: Conway Maritime Press). ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Rössler, Eberhard (1979). U-Bootbau bis Ende des 1. Weltkrieges, Konstruktionen für das Ausland und die Jahre 1935 – 1945. Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften (in German) I (Munich: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.

German Type UB III submarines

SM UB-48 SM UB-49 SM UB-50 SM UB-51 SM UB-52 SM UB-53 SM UB-54 SM UB-55 SM UB-56 SM UB-57 SM UB-58 SM UB-59 SM UB-60 SM UB-61 SM UB-62 SM UB-63 SM UB-64 SM UB-65 SM UB-66 SM UB-67 SM UB-68 SM UB-69 SM UB-70 SM UB-71 SM UB-72 SM UB-73 SM UB-74 SM UB-75 SM UB-76 SM UB-77 SM UB-78 SM UB-79 SM UB-80 SM UB-81 SM UB-82 SM UB-83 SM UB-84 SM UB-85 SM UB-86 SM UB-87 SM UB-88 SM UB-89 SM UB-90 SM UB-91 SM UB-92 SM UB-93 SM UB-94 SM UB-95 SM UB-96 SM UB-97 SM UB-98 SM UB-99 SM UB-100 SM UB-101 SM UB-102 SM UB-103 SM UB-104 SM UB-105 SM UB-106 SM UB-107 SM UB-108 SM UB-109 SM UB-110 SM UB-111 SM UB-112 SM UB-113 SM UB-114 SM UB-115 SM UB-116 SM UB-117 SM UB-118 SM UB-119 SM UB-120 SM UB-121 SM UB-122 SM UB-123 SM UB-124 SM UB-125 SM UB-126 SM UB-127 SM UB-128 SM UB-129 SM UB-130 SM UB-131 SM UB-132 SM UB-133 SM UB-136 SM UB-142 SM UB-143 SM UB-144 SM UB-145 SM UB-148 SM UB-149 SM UB-150 SM UB-154 SM UB-155

Preceded by: Type UB II Followed by: Type VII (World War II)

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