German submarine U-307 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The U-boat was laid down on 5 November 1941, and commissioned on 18 November 1942.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-307 |
| Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder | Flender Werke, Lübeck |
| Yard number | 307 |
| Laid down | 5 November 1941 |
| Launched | 30 September 1942 |
| Commissioned | 18 November 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk by depth charges, 29 April 1945[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | |
| Test depth |
|
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 50 406 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: |
2 merchant ships sunk (7,226 GRT) |
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-307 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-307 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
editDespite carrying out 13 war patrols between July 1943 and April 1945, U-307 sank only two vessels; the 7,176 GRT American Liberty ship SS William S. Thayer on 30 April 1944, fifty miles south of Bear Island, and the 50 GRT Norwegian Army motor boat Lennox in Van Mijenfjorden, Spitsbergen, on 18 August 1944.
In September 1944, together with the supply ship Carl J. Busch, U-307 transported the men of Operation Haudegen, a German military meteorological mission, to Svalbard.
Wolfpacks
editU-307 took part in twelve wolfpacks, namely:
- Wiking (5 September – 8 October 1943)
- Monsun (3 October – 23 November 1943)
- Eisenbart (28 October – 8 December 1943)
- Boreas (28 February – 10 March 1944)
- Thor (17 – 26 March 1944)
- Donner (17 – 20 April 1944)
- Donner & Keil (20 April – 3 May 1944)
- Grimm (31 May - 6 June 1944)
- Trutz (8 June – 10 July 1944)
- Rasmus (6 – 13 February 1945)
- Hagen (13 – 21 March 1945)
- Faust (21 – 29 April 1945)
Fate
editU-307 was sunk on 29 April 1945 in the Barents Sea near Murmansk, Russia, in position 69°24′N 33°44′E / 69.400°N 33.733°E by depth charges from the British Loch class frigate HMS Loch Insh. There were 37 dead and 14 survivors.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 April 1944 | William S. Thayer |  United States
|
7,176 | Sunk |
| 18 August 1944 | Lennox |  Norway
|
50 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 254.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-307". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-307". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 307". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.