German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-663" was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" for service during World War II.
She was laid down on 31 March 1941 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg as yard number 812, launched on 26 March 1942 and commissioned on 14 May 1942 under "Kapitänleutnant" Heinrich Schmid.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-663" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-663" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history.
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 14 May 1942, followed by active service on 1 October 1942 as part of the 11th Flotilla. After only one month, she transferred to the 9th Flotilla on 1 November 1942, for the remainder of her service.
In 3 patrols she sank 2 merchant ships, for a total of  gross register tons (GRT).
Wolfpacks.
"U-663" took part in four wolfpacks, namely:
Fate.
"U-663" was sunk on 8 May 1943 in the Bay of Biscay in position , by depth charges from a No. 10 Squadron RAAF Sunderland. All hands were lost.
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