Name U-163 Commissioned 21 August 1918 Draft 3.88 m | Ordered 9 February 1917 Launched 1 June 1918 Builder Bremer Vulkan | |
Fate Surrendered to Italy 22 November 1918 Class and type German Type U 93 submarine Displacement 821 t (808 long tons) surfaced
1,002 t (986 long tons) submerged | ||
SM U-163 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-163 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.
Design
German Type U 93 submarines were preceded by the shorter Type U 87 submarines. U-163 had a displacement of 821 tonnes (808 long tons) when at the surface and 1,002 tonnes (986 long tons) while submerged. It had a total length of 234 ft 9 in (71.55 m), a pressure hull length of 183 ft 11 in (56.06 m), a beam of 20 ft 8 in (6.30 m), a height of 27 ft 1 in (8.26 m), and a draught of 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m). The submarine was powered by two 2,400 metric horsepower (1,800 kW; 2,400 shp) engines for use while surfaced, and two 1,230 metric horsepower (900 kW; 1,210 shp) engines for use while submerged. It had two propeller shafts and two 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) propellers. It was capable of operating at depths of up to 50 metres (160 ft).
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 16.2 knots (30.0 km/h; 18.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8.2 knots (15.2 km/h; 9.4 mph). When submerged, it could operate for 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph); when surfaced, it could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-163 was fitted with six 50 centimetres (20 in) torpedo tubes (four at the bow and two at the stern), twelve to sixteen torpedoes, and two 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) deck machine guns. It had a complement of thirty-six (thirty-two crew members and four officers).