German submarine U-300

Career
Name: U-300
Ordered: 23 March 1942
Builder: Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack
Yard number: 65
Laid down: 9 April 1943
Launched: 23 November 1943
Commissioned: 29 December 1943
Fate: Sunk, 22 February 1945
General characteristics
Type: Type VIIC/41 submarine
Displacement: 769 long tons (781 t) surfaced
871 long tons (885 t) submerged
Length: 67.23 m (220 ft 7 in) o/a
50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft: 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsion: 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296.
Speed: 17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced
7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged
Range: 15,725 km (8,491 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced
150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 250 m (820 ft)
Crush depth: 275–325 m (902–1,066 ft)
Complement: 44–52 officers & ratings
Armament: • 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern)
• 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines
• 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds)
• Various AA guns
Service record[1][2]
Part of: 8th U-boat Flotilla
(29 December 1943–31 July 1944)
7th U-boat Flotilla
(1 August–30 September 1944)
11th U-boat Flotilla
(1 October 1944–22 February 1945)
Commanders: Oblt. Fritz Hein
(29 December 1943–22 February 1945)
Operations: 1st patrol: 18 July–17 August 1944
2nd patrol: 4 October–2 December 1944
3rd patrol: 21 January–22 February 1945
Victories: 2 commercial ships sunk (7,559 GRT)
1 commercial ship damaged (7,176 GRT)
1 commercial ship a total loss (9,551 GRT)

German submarine U-300 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

The U-boat was laid down on 9 April 1943 by the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 23 November 1943, and commissioned on 29 December 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Fritz Hein. U-300 served with 8th U-boat Flotilla for training, 7th U-boat Flotilla from 1 August 1944 to 30 September 1944 and finally 11th U-boat Flotilla from 1 October 1944 to 22 February 1945. U-300 completed three patrols sinking two ships, and damaged two more before she was sunk on 22 February 1945 off Cadiz.

Contents

Service history

1st patrol

U-300 departed Horten, Norway, on 18 July 1944 and sailed for the waters south-east of Iceland. On 4 August the U-boat was attacked by a Catalina flying boat of No. 162 Squadron RCAF with three depth charges causing extensive damage. The U-boat drove off the aircraft with flak, but was forced to return to base for repairs, arriving at Trondheim on 17 August.[3]

2nd patrol

The U-boat left Trondheim on 4 October 1944 for another patrol south of Iceland. On 10 November she sank two ships from Convoy UR-142 en route from the UK to Reykjavík.

She hit the British 6,017 ton tanker Shirvan[4] setting her on fire, and when the Icelandic 1,542 ton cargo ship Godafoss[5] stopped, against orders, to pick up survivors from the tanker, she was also torpedoed, and sank within seven minutes with the loss of 24 lives, including 4 young children.[6] The abandoned Shirvan foundered the next day.

U-300 returned to Stavanger on 2 December.[7]

3rd patrol

U-300 sailed from Stavanger on 21 January 1945 on her third and final patrol to the waters off Spain.[8] There on 17 February, 27 miles from Gibraltar, she attacked Convoy UGS-72, firing two spreads of two torpedoes and hitting the American 7,176 ton Liberty ship Michael J. Stone[9] and the British 9,551 ton tanker Regent Lion.[10]

The Michael J. Stone was flooded in both holds and the steering room. However, she managed to reach Gibraltar under her own power where she was dry-docked and repaired. The Regent Lion, which had already been damaged by a torpedo from U-610 the previous day, had to be taken in tow. She was grounded on Perl Rock, a mile south of Carnero Point in the Bay of Gibraltar, and was later declared a total loss.

Sinking

The U-300 was sunk on 22 February 1945 in the North Atlantic west of Cadiz, in position , by depth charges from the British Algerine-class minesweepers HMS Recruit and HMS Pincher, and the armed yacht/minesweeper HMS Evadne. Nine of the crew were lost, and there were 41 survivors.[1]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-300 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u300.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  2. ^ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-300 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u300.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  3. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-300 from 18 Jul 1944 to 17 Aug 1944 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4763.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  4. ^ "Shirvan (Steam tanker) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3375.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  5. ^ "Godafoss (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3374.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  6. ^ "Morgunblaðið Nov. 12 1944". www.timarit.is. http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1253359. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
  7. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-300 from 4 Oct 1944 to 2 Dec 1944 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4764.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  8. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-300 from 21 Jan 1945 to 22 Feb 1945 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4765.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  9. ^ "Michael J. Stone (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3445.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
  10. ^ "Regent Lion (Motor tanker) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3446.html. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
Bibliography

External links