German submarine U-307

<th colspan="2" >Service record

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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.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-307 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged.Template:Sfn 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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 .Template:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of .Template:Sfn When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-307 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 two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.Template:Sfn

Service history

Despite carrying out 13 war patrols between July 1943 and April 1945, U-307 sank only two vessels; the 7,176 GRT American Liberty ship 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

U-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

U-307 was sunk on 29 April 1945 in the Barents Sea near Murmansk, Russia, in position by depth charges from the British Loch class frigate . There were 37 dead and 14 survivors.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
30 April 1944	William S. Thayer	United States	7,176	Sunk
18 August 1944	Lennox	Norway	50	Sunk