German submarine U-309

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-309 had a displacement of {{convert|769|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|871|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}} She had a total length of {{convert|67.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a pressure hull length of {{convert|50.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a beam of {{convert|6.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a draught of {{convert|4.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of {{convert|2800 to 3200|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of {{convert|750|PS|kW shp}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.23|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|17.7|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.6|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|80|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|8500|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. U-309 was fitted with five {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin 2 cm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}}

After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla at Königsberg, U-309 was transferred to the 11th U-boat Flotilla based in Bergen on 1 August 1943, Norway, for front-line service. The U-boat departed Kiel on 26 August, arriving at Bergen seven days later, on 1 September. From there she sailed out into the Norwegian Sea on 13 September, and arrived in Trondheim six days later on the 18th.{{Cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4825.html

|title=Patrol of U-boat U-309 from 13 Sep 1943 to 18 Sep 1943

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=11 April 2010

}} As U-309 was then reassigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla based at Brest in France. She left Trondheim on 25 September, and sailed out into the mid-Atlantic to patrol, before arriving at Brest on 7 November.{{Cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4826.html

|title=Patrol of U-boat U-309 from 25 September 1943 to 7 November 1943

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=11 April 2010

}} During this patrol, on 30 September, U-309 suffered her only casualty, when Mechanikergefreiter Erich Jungmann was lost overboard while working out on deck.

U-309{{'}}s next patrol took her from Brest, on 19 December 1943, out into the Atlantic west of Ireland, then back to Bordeaux on 14 February 1944. In April 1944 the U-boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus.

In June and July 1944 U-309 made two short patrols in the Bay of Biscay, before finally achieving success during her fifth patrol. The U-boat sailed from Brest on 12 July 1944 and into the English Channel.{{Cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4831.html

|title=Patrol of U-boat U-309 from 12 July 1944 to 3 August 1944

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=11 April 2010

}} There, at 21:00 on 24 July, she fired three LuT pattern-running torpedoes at Convoy FTM-47, en route from Juno Beach in Normandy to Southend, and hit the 7,219 GRT British Liberty ship Samneva. Badly damaged, the ship was beached at Southampton, but then broke in two and was declared a total loss.{{Cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3297.html

|title=Samneva (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=11 April 2010

}} U-309 returned to Brest on 3 August.

As the French bases fell to the advancing Allies, U-309 was transferred again, this time to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla based at Flensburg. Under her new commander Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Loeder she left La Pallice on 29 August 1944, and sailed around the British Isles to Stavanger, Norway, arriving on 13 October. The U-boat left there after only two days, sailing to Flensburg by the 21st. Lothar-Günther Buchheim in 1978 published photos of this patrol in his book U-Boot-Krieg (U-boat War), a nonfiction story of his trip on U-309 and U-96. Buchheim also wrote the book Das Boot in 1973, which has some of his experiences on U-309 and U-96.[https://uboat.net/books/item/587 U-Boot-Krieg (U-Boat War),]uboat.net[https://scholar.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1135&context=theses_dissertations LOTHAR-GÜNTHER BUCHHEIM’S D THER BUCHHEIM’S DAS BOOT: MEMOR T: MEMORY AND THE Y AND THE NAZI PAST], by Dean Jon Guarnaschelli, St. John's University Theses and Dissertations, 2020Lothar-Günther Buchheim: Das Boot. 1977

U-309 left Germany on 30 January 1945, sailing to Horten Naval Base in Norway, arriving there on 2 February. She departed on 8 February, and headed into the waters east of Scotland.

There, on 16 February 1945, U-309 was shadowing Convoy WN-74 into the Moray Firth when she was detected by the Canadian {{sclass2|River|frigate}} {{HMCS|Saint John|K456|2}} with ASDIC (sonar). The first attack on the U-boat produced some oil on the surface. Two further attacks were carried out using the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, which produced more oil. The fourth attack using depth charges produced wreckage including charts, signal books and cork insulation material.{{Cite web

|url=http://www.scapaflow.com/u309.html

|title=The U-309 Expedition

|work=scapaflow.com

|access-date=11 April 2010

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123062231/http://www.scapaflow.com/u309.html

|archive-date=23 January 2013

}} U-309 sank in position {{coord|58|09|N|02|23|W|dim:2000000|display=inline,title}}. All 47 aboard were lost.

U-309 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely:

• Rossbach (6 – 9 October 1943)
• Schlieffen (14 – 22 October 1943)
• Siegfried (22 – 26 October 1943)
• Rügen 7 (28 December 1943 - 2 January 1944)
• Rügen 6 (2 – 7 January 1944)
• Rügen (7 – 26 January 1944)
• Stürmer (26 January - 3 February 1944)

The wreck of what is believed to be U-309 was located on 17 May 2001, 25 miles off Wick in {{Convert|62|m}} of water. There are no identifying features, but the Type VIIC U-boat is close to the reported position of U-309{{'}}s sinking, and the damage sustained is consistent with that caused by depth charges. However, there is a possibility that the wreck may be the {{GS|U-1020||2}}, which went missing in the North Sea in November 1944 and has never been found.

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
• {{cite book |last1=Busch |first1=Rainer |last2=Röll |first2=Hans-Joachim |title=Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 |date=1999|volume=IV |publisher=Mittler|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn |isbn=3-8132-0514-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXKwAAAAIAAJ |language=de}}
• {{cite book

|last1=Gröner

|first1=Erich

|last2=Jung

|first2=Dieter

|last3=Maass

|first3=Martin

|translator-last1=Thomas

|translator-first1=Keith

|translator-last2=Magowan

|translator-first2=Rachel

|year=1991

|title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels

|volume=2

|series=German Warships 1815–1945

|location=London

|publisher=Conway Maritime Press

|isbn=0-85177-593-4

|ref=CITEREFGröner1991

}}

{{Refend}}

• {{Cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/u309.html

|title=The Type VIIC boat U-309

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=26 December 2014

}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130123062231/http://www.scapaflow.com/u309.html scapaflow.com: John's U-309/U-1020 Expedition]
• {{cite web

|url=http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0309.html

|title=U 309

|last=Hofmann

|first=Markus

|website=Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de

|language=de

|access-date=26 December 2014

}}

{{German Type VII submarines}}

{{February 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0309}}

Category:German Type VIIC submarines

Category:U-boats commissioned in 1943

Category:U-boats sunk in 1945

Category:World War II submarines of Germany

Category:World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea

Category:1942 ships

Category:Ships built in Lübeck

Category:U-boats sunk by depth charges

Category:U-boats sunk by Canadian warships

Category:Submarines lost with all hands

Category:Maritime incidents in February 1945