German submarine U-302

History
Name	U-302
Ordered	6 August 1940
Builder	Flender Werke, Lübeck
Yard number	302
Laid down	2 April 1941
Launched	25 April 1942
Commissioned	16 June 1942
Fate	Sunk, April 1943, in mid-Atlantic, by a British warship
General characteristics
Type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	list error: <br /> list (help); 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	list error: <br /> list (help); 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a; 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam	list error: <br /> list (help); 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	list error: <br /> list (help); 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	list error: <br /> list (help); 17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced; 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged
Range	list error: <br /> list (help); 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced; 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth	list error: <br /> list (help); 230 m (750 ft); Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement	44–52 officers and ratings
Armament	list error: <br /> list (help); • 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds); • Various AA guns
Service record
Part of:	list error: <br /> list (help); 8th U-boat Flotilla; (16 May–30 November 1942); 11th U-boat Flotilla; (1 December 1942–31 May 1943); 13th U-boat Flotilla; (1 June–31 October 1943)
Commanders:	list error: <br /> list (help); Kptlt. Herbert Sickel; (16 June 1942–6 April 1944)
Operations:	list error: <br /> list (help); 1st patrol: 2–6 January 1942; 2nd patrol: 10–29 January 1943; 3rd patrol: 2–21 February 1943; 4th patrol:14–15 March 1943; 5th patrol: 9 June–19 July 1943; 6th patrol: 30 July–22 September 1943; 7th patrol; 6 December 1943–30 January 1944; 8th patrol: 11 March–6 April 1944
Victories:	Three ships sunk, for a total of 12,697 GRT.

German submarine U-302 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 2 April 1941 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as 'werk' 302, launched on 25 April 1942 and commissioned on 16 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Herbert Sackel.

During her career, the U-boat sailed on eight combat patrols, sinking three ships, before she was sunk in April 1944 in mid-Atlantic by a British frigate.^[2]

She was a member of 10 wolfpacks.

Service history

The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in May 1942. She was then transferred to the 11th flotilla for operations on 1 December. She was reassigned to the 13th flotilla on 1 June 1943 and moved again to the 9th flotilla on 1 November.

The boat made the short journey from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway, arriving on 1 December 1942.

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th patrols

The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Bergen on 2 January 1943.

Her fourth sortie finished in Narvik on 15 March 1943.

None of them was eventful.

The U-boat then made short voyages from Narvik to Trondheim to Hammerfest, (the latter lying in the far north of Norway).

5th and 6th patrols

Her fifth patrol took her around Bear Island, west of Svalbard, then around Bear Island again.

Her sixth effort was successful in that she sank the Soviet Dikson near Mona Island on 22 August 1943.^[4]

7th patrol

Leaving Trondheim on 6 December 1943, she passed through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She arrived at La Pallice in occupied France, on 30 January 1944.

8th patrol and loss

Her last patrol was her most successful, sinking the Ruth I and the South America on 6 April 1944.

She was also sunk on the 6th by depth charges^[5] from the British frigate HMS Swale northwest of the Azores.

Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
28 August 1943	Dikson	Soviet Union	2,290	Sunk
6 April 1944	Ruth I	Norway	3,531	Sunk
6 April 1944	South America	Norway	6,246	Sunk

References

Notes

^ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 181.
^ ^a ^b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-302". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-302". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-302 from 30 July 1942 to 22 September 1942". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
^ http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0302html U-302 at u-boot-archiv.de

Bibliography

External links

U-boat Archive: "U 302" Interrogation of Sole Survivor

v t e Type VII submarines
Type VIIA	U-27 U-28 U-29 U-30 U-31 U-32 U-33 U-34 U-35 U-36
Type VIIB	U-45 U-46 U-47 U-48 U-49 U-50 U-51 U-52 U-53 U-54 U-55 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-83 U-84 U-85 U-86 U-87 U-99 U-100 U-101 U-102
Type VIIC	U-69 U-70 U-71 U-72 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80 U-81 U-82 U-88 U-89 U-90 U-91 U-92 U-93 U-94 U-95 U-96 U-97 U-98 U-132 U-133 U-134 U-135 U-136 U-201 U-202 U-203 U-204 U-205 U-206 U-207 U-208 U-209 U-210 U-211 U-212 U-221 U-222 U-223 U-224 U-225 U-226 U-227 U-228 U-229 U-230 U-231 U-232 U-235 U-236 U-237 U-238 U-239 U-240 U-241 U-242 U-243 U-244 U-245 U-246 U-247 U-248 U-249 U-250 U-251 U-252 U-253 U-254 U-255 U-256 U-257 U-258 U-259 U-260 U-261 U-262 U-263 U-264 U-265 U-266 U-267 U-268 U-269 U-270 U-271 U-272 U-273 U-274 U-275 U-276 U-277 U-278 U-279 U-280 U-281 U-282 U-283 U-284 U-285 U-286 U-287 U-288 U-289 U-290 U-291 U-301 U-302 U-303 U-304 U-305 U-306 U-307 U-308 U-309 U-310 U-311 U-312 U-313 U-314 U-315 U-316 U-331 U-332 U-333 U-334 U-335 U-336 U-337 U-338 U-339 U-340 U-341 U-342 U-343 U-344 U-345 U-346 U-347 U-348 U-349 U-350 U-351 U-352 U-353 U-354 U-355 U-356 U-357 U-358 U-359 U-360 U-361 U-362 U-363 U-364 U-365 U-366 U-367 U-368 U-369 U-370 U-371 U-372 U-373 U-374 U-375 U-376 U-377 U-378 U-379 U-380 U-381 U-382 U-383 U-384 U-385 U-386 U-387 U-388 U-389 U-390 U-391 U-392 U-393 U-394 U-396 U-397 U-398 U-399 U-400 U-401 U-402 U-403 U-404 U-405 U-406 U-407 U-408 U-409 U-410 U-411 U-412 U-413 U-414 U-415 U-416 U-417 U-418 U-419 U-420 U-421 U-422 U-423 U-424 U-425 U-426 U-427 U-428 U-429 U-430 U-431 U-432 U-433 U-434 U-435 U-436 U-437 U-438 U-439 U-440 U-441 U-442 U-443 U-444 U-445 U-446 U-447 U-448 U-449 U-450 U-451 U-452 U-453 U-454 U-455 U-456 U-457 U-458 U-465 U-466 U-467 U-468 U-469 U-470 U-471 U-472 U-473 U-475 U-476 U-477 U-478 U-479 U-480 U-481 U-482 U-483 U-484 U-485 U-486 U-551 U-552 U-553 U-554 U-555 U-556 U-557 U-558 U-559 U-560 U-561 U-562 U-563 U-564 U-565 U-566 U-567 U-568 U-569 U-570 U-571 U-572 U-573 U-574 U-575 U-576 U-577 U-578 U-579 U-580 U-581 U-582 U-583 U-584 U-585 U-586 U-587 U-588 U-589 U-590 U-591 U-592 U-593 U-594 U-595 U-596 U-597 U-598 U-599 U-600 U-601 U-602 U-603 U-604 U-605 U-606 U-607 U-608 U-609 U-610 U-611 U-612 U-613 U-614 U-615 U-616 U-617 U-618 U-619 U-620 U-621 U-622 U-623 U-624 U-625 U-626 U-627 U-628 U-629 U-630 U-631 U-632 U-633 U-634 U-635 U-636 U-637 U-638 U-639 U-640 U-641 U-642 U-643 U-644 U-645 U-646 U-647 U-648 U-649 U-650 U-651 U-652 U-653 U-654 U-655 U-656 U-657 U-658 U-659 U-660 U-661 U-662 U-663 U-664 U-665 U-666 U-667 U-668 U-669 U-670 U-671 U-672 U-673 U-674 U-675 U-676 U-677 U-678 U-679 U-680 U-681 U-682 U-683 U-701 U-702 U-703 U-704 U-705 U-706 U-707 U-708 U-709 U-710 U-711 U-712 U-713 U-714 U-715 U-716 U-717 U-718 U-719 U-720 U-721 U-722 U-731 U-732 U-733 U-734 U-735 U-736 U-737 U-738 U-739 U-740 U-741 U-742 U-743 U-744 U-745 U-746 U-747 U-748 U-749 U-750 U-751 U-752 U-753 U-754 U-755 U-756 U-757 U-758 U-759 U-760 U-761 U-762 U-763 U-764 U-765 U-766 U-767 U-768 U-771 U-772 U-773 U-774 U-775 U-776 U-777 U-778 U-779 U-821 U-822 U-825 U-826 U-901 U-903 U-904 U-905 U-907 U-921 U-922 U-923 U-924 U-925 U-926 U-927 U-928 U-951 U-952 U-953 U-954 U-955 U-956 U-957 U-958 U-959 U-960 U-961 U-962 U-963 U-964 U-965 U-966 U-967 U-968 U-969 U-970 U-971 U-972 U-973 U-974 U-975 U-976 U-977 U-978 U-979 U-980 U-981 U-982 U-983 U-984 U-985 U-986 U-987 U-988 U-989 U-990 U-991 U-992 U-993 U-994 U-1051 U-1052 U-1053 U-1054 U-1055 U-1056 U-1057 U-1058 U-1101 U-1102 U-1131 U-1132 U-1161 U-1162 U-1191 U-1192 U-1193 U-1194 U-1195 U-1196 U-1197 U-1198 U-1199 U-1200 U-1201 U-1202 U-1203 U-1204 U-1205 U-1206 U-1207 U-1208 U-1209 U-1210
Type VIIC/41	U-292 U-293 U-294 U-295 U-296 U-297 U-298 U-299 U-300 U-317 U-318 U-319 U-320 U-321 U-322 U-323 U-324 U-325 U-326 U-327 U-328 U-691 U-827 U-828 U-929 U-930 U-995 U-997 U-998 U-999 U-1000 U-1001 U-1002 U-1003 U-1004 U-1005 U-1006 U-1007 U-1008 U-1009 U-1010 U-1011 U-1013 U-1014 U-1015 U-1016 U-1017 U-1018 U-1019 U-1020 U-1021 U-1022 U-1023 U-1024 U-1025 U-1063 U-1064 U-1065 U-1103 U-1104 U-1105 U-1106 U-1107 U-1108 U-1109 U-1110 U-1163 U-1164 U-1165 U-1166 U-1167 U-1168 U-1169 U-1170 U-1171 U-1172 U-1271 U-1272 U-1273 U-1274 U-1275 U-1276 U-1277 U-1278 U-1279 U-1301 U-1302 U-1303 U-1304 U-1305 U-1306 U-1307 U-1308
Type VIID	U-213 U-214 U-215 U-216 U-217 U-218
Type VIIF	U-1059 U-1060 U-1061 U-1062
Preceded by: Type II Followed by: Type IX List of U-boats of Germany