For other ships named German submarine U-63, see German submarine U-63 (disambiguation).
UC-63
CountryGerman Empire
Ordered12 January 1916[1]
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen[2]
Yard number261[1]
Laid down3 April 1916[1]
Launched6 January 1917[1]
Commissioned30 January 1917[1]
FateTorpedoed and sunk on 1 November 1917[1]
SM UC-63
ClassType UC II submarine
Displacement
  • 422 t (415 long tons), surfaced
  • 504 t (496 long tons), submerged
Length
Beam
  • 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 3.65 m (12 ft) pressure hull
Draught3.67 m (12 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h; 13.7 mph), surfaced
  • 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph), submerged
Range
  • 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) surfaced
  • 59 nmi (109 km; 68 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth50 m (160 ft)
Complement26
Armament
Notes30-second diving time
SM UC-63
Partof
  • Flandern Flotilla
  • 27 April – 1 November 1917
Commanders
  • Oblt.z.S. Karsten von Heydebreck[3]
  • 30 January – 1 November 1917
Operations9 patrols
Victories
  • 33 merchant ships sunk
    ()
  • 3 auxiliary warships sunk
    ()
  • 4 merchant ships damaged
    ()

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 nine 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; only one crewman survived the sinking.[1]

Design

A Type UC II submarine, UC-63 had a displacement of 422 tonnes (415 long tons) when at the surface and 504 tonnes (496 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 51.85 m (170 ft 1 in), a beam of 5.22 m (17 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.67 m (12 ft 0 in). The submarine was powered by two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines each producing 300 metric horsepower (220 kW; 300 hp) (a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 hp)), two electric motors producing 620 metric horsepower (460 kW; 610 hp), and two propeller shafts. She had a dive time of 48 seconds and was capable of operating at a depth of 50 metres (160 ft).[4]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h; 13.7 mph) and a submerged speed of 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph). When submerged, she could operate for 59 nautical miles (109 km; 68 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). UC-63 was fitted with six 100 centimetres (39 in) mine tubes, eighteen UC 200 mines, three 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (one on the stern and two on the bow), seven torpedoes, and one 8.8 cm (3.5 in) Uk L/30 deck gun. Her complement was twenty-six crew members.[4]

Service career

UC-63 entered service on 30 January 1917, under the command of Oblt Karsten von Heydebreck. She was assigned to the Flanders U-boat Flotilla, based at Bruges in occupied Belgium.

UC-63 carried out nine war patrols, operating mainly in the North Sea against British fishing trawlers. She had considerable success, sinking seven and damaging two more in a single day in June 1917. In August 1917 she fought an action against two armed trawlers, HMS Nelson and HMS Boy Alfred. Both of these were sunk, and the crew of Ethel & Millie were picked up by the U-boat, after which they were not seen again. The suspicion then, and subsequently, is that they were disposed of by the U-boat commander, perhaps by being left to drown while the U-boat submerged.[5] The German government had made it clear they regarded the crews of merchant ships who fought back against U-boat attacks as francs-tireurs, and thus liable to execution.[6]

Before her loss in November 1917, UC-63 sank 36 ships, totalling 35,900 GRT, and damaged four more, in a nine month career.[1]

Fate

On 1 November 1917, while operating off the Goodwin Sands, UC-63 was sighted by British submarine HMS E52. She was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of all but one of her 27 crew.

Summary of raiding history

DateNameNationalityTonnage[Note 2]Fate[7]
26 April 1917AmsteldjikNetherlands186Sunk
10 May 1917GrunoNetherlands171Sunk
27 June 1917LongbentonUnited Kingdom924Sunk
28 June 1917Frigate BirdUnited Kingdom20Sunk
28 June 1917ElsieUnited Kingdom20Sunk
28 June 1917FrancesUnited Kingdom20Sunk
28 June 1917GlenelgUnited Kingdom32Sunk
28 June 1917HarbingerUnited Kingdom39Sunk
28 June 1917Rose of JuneUnited Kingdom20Sunk
28 June 1917William And BetsyUnited Kingdom21Sunk
28 June 1917FrankUnited Kingdom21Damaged
28 June 1917DiligenceUnited Kingdom20Damaged
30 June 1917MarkersdalDenmark1,640Sunk
1 July 1917AdvanceUnited Kingdom44Sunk
1 July 1917GleamUnited Kingdom54Sunk
1 July 1917RadianceUnited Kingdom57Sunk
31 July 1917EmpressUnited Kingdom2,914Sunk
2 August 1917Young BertUnited Kingdom59Sunk
6 August 1917AlfredFrance107Sunk
6 August 1917FaneNorway1,119Sunk
6 August 1917ZamoraUnited Kingdom3,639Damaged
7 August 1917OnestaKingdom of Italy2,674Sunk
8 August 1917Marie Jesus Protegez NousFrance46Sunk
14 August 1917ThamesUnited Kingdom403Sunk
14 August 1917CostanzaKingdom of Italy2,545Sunk
14 August 1917LunaNorway959Damaged
15 August 1917HMS Ethel And Millie (as HMS Boy Alfred)58Sunk
15 August 1917HMS G & E (as HMS Nelson)61Sunk
15 August 1917AliceUnited Kingdom25Sunk
22 September 1917ItaliaFrance627Sunk
24 September 1917PerseveranceFrance2,873Sunk
24 September 1917EuropeFrance2,839Sunk
25 September 1917DinorahFrance4,208Sunk
25 September 1917HMT James Seckar255Sunk
24 October 1917UlfsborgDenmark2,040Sunk
28 October 1917Baron GariochUnited Kingdom1,831Sunk
29 October 1917MarneFrance979Sunk
4 November 1917LyraNorway1,141Sunk
25 November 1917OriflammeUnited Kingdom3,764Sunk
4 December 1917BrigittaUnited Kingdom2,084Sunk

References

Notes

  1. ^ "SM" stands for Seiner Majestäts (English: His Majesty's) and combined with "U" for Unterseeboot translates as "His Majesty's Submarine".
  2. ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

  1. ^ UC+63. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  2. ^ Tarrant, p. 173
  3. ^ 125. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  4. ^ Gröner 1991, pp. 31–32.
  5. ^ Ritchie p125
  6. ^ Ritchie p159
  7. ^ uc63. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

Bibliography

  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. German Warships 1815–1945. Translated by Thomas, Keith & Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • 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
  • Ritchie, Carson: Q-Ships. (1985) ISBN 0-86138-011-8
  • Tarrant, V.E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385