SM UB-63

	UB-148 at sea, a U-boat similar to UB-63.
History
German Empire
Name	UB-63
Ordered	20 May 1916
Builder	AG Vulcan, Hamburg
Cost	3,279,000 German Papiermark
Yard number	88
Launched	26 May 1917
Commissioned	23 July 1917
Fate	Sunk 28 January 1918 by British warships at 56°10′N 2°0′E / 56.167°N 2.000°E
General characteristics
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
Armament	5 × 50 cm (19.7 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern); 10 torpedoes; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun;
Service record
Part of:	II Flotilla; 4 – 30 September 1917; V Flotilla; 30 September 1917 – 28 January 1918;
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rudolf Gebeschus; 23 July 1917 – 28 January 1918;
Operations:	3 patrols
Victories:	2 merchant ships sunk ; (4,481 GRT); 1 merchant ship damaged ; (1,113 GRT); 1 merchant ship taken as 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.^{[Note 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.^[1]

Construction[edit]

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[edit]

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 2]}	Fate^[4]
15 September 1917	Santaren	United Kingdom	4,256	Sunk
3 November 1917	Haelen	Belgium	3,290	Captured as prize
8 November 1917	Lindhardt	Denmark	225	Sunk
15 November 1917	Stargard	Norway	1,113	Damaged

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

^ "SM" stands for "Seiner Majestät" (English: His Majesty's) and combined with the U for Unterseeboot would be translated as His Majesty's Submarine.
^ Tonnages are in gross register tons

Citations[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.
^ Rössler 1979, p. 60.
^ 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[edit]

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. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Rössler, Eberhard (1979). Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften: eine Bilddokumentation über den deutschen U-Bootbau; in zwei Bänden (in German). Vol. I. Munich: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5213-7.

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

[tonnage-5] Tonnages are in gross register tons

[FOOTNOTEGröner199125–30-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gröner 1991, pp. 25–30.

[FOOTNOTERössler197960-2] Rössler 1979, p. 60.

[3] 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.

[6] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by UB 63". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[4]

v t e 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)
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1918
Shipwrecks	4 Jan: HMHS Rewa, Racoon 5 Jan: War Baron 9 Jan: SM UB-69 12 Jan: HMS Narborough, HMS Opal 14 Jan: HMS G8 19 Jan: HMS H10, SM UB-22 20 Jan: HMS M28, Midilli, HMS Raglan, Warspite 21 Jan: HMS Louvain 24 Jan: Corse 25 Jan: Normandy 26 Jan: USS Guinevere, SM U-84, SM UB-35, SS Cork 27 Jan: Andania 28 Jan: HMS E14, HMS Hazard, SM U-109 31 Jan: HMS K4, HMS K17 Unknown date: SM U-93, SM U-95, SM UB-63, SM UB-66
Other incidents	8 Jan: USS Jenkins, SS New York 11 Jan: Kasuga 14 Jan: HMS Murray, HMS Vehement 17 Jan: USS Monocacy (incident) 20 Jan: Yavûz Sultân Selîm 29 Jan: HMS Bat, Cedric 31 Jan: HMS K6, HMS K7, HMS Fearless
1917 1918 1919 December 1917 February 1918