_na_Atlantyku_(2-2546).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-203 |
| Ordered | 23 September 1939[1] |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number | 632 |
| Laid down | 28 March 1940[1] |
| Launched | 4 January 1941[1] |
| Commissioned | 18 February 1941[1] |
| Fate | Sunk 25 April 1943 by British aircraft and a British warship. 10 dead, 38 survivors |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIICU-boat |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Draught | 4.74 m (15.6 ft) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 36 449 |
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | |
German submarineU-203 was aGerman Type VIIC submarineU-boat built forNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine for service duringWorld War II.[1]
Built as yard number 632 ofFriedrich Krupp Germaniawerft AG inKiel, she waslaid down on 28 March 1940,launched on 4 January 1941 andcommissioned on 18 February underKapitänleutnantRolf Mützelburg.
U-203 carried out eleven patrols with the first flotilla and is credited with sinking 21 ships for 94,270 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging a further three for 17,052 GRT. She was a member of elevenwolfpacks.
She was sunk by British carrier-borne aircraft and a British warship southeast ofGreenland on 25 April 1943.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-203 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), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoAEG GU 460/8–27double-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-203 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
On 24 June 1941, nineteen days into her first patrol whileen route fromKiel toSt. Nazaire in France,U-203 attacked and sank the GRT 4,956 GRT British merchant shipKinross, which was part ofConvoy OB 336. Later that day, she attacked the 4,402 GRT Norwegian shipSoløy, which was withConvoy HX 133.
Arriving at St. Nazaire on 29 June, the crew ofU-203 stayed ashore for another eleven days before the boat made her second patrol. Seventeen days into it, she attackedConvoy OG 69 which was sailing to Gibraltar. On the 27th,U-203 sank the 2,475 GRT British merchant shipHawkinge. The BritishLapland and the SwedishNorita, also OG 69 merchant ships, were sunk the following day, adding a further 1,330 GRT and 1,516 GRT respectively to the U-boat's record.
Six days into her third patrol she joined awolfpack attack onConvoy HG 73 On 26 September she sank the British shipsAvoceta andLapwing and the NorwegianVaranberg, destroying another 7,362 GRT of shipping.Avoceta's sinking killed 123 people. TheConvoy Commodore was aboard, but was one of the few dozen survivors.
Sixteen days into her fourth patrol, on 3 November,U-203 attacked and sankEmpire Gemsbuck (5,626 GRT) andEveroja (4,830 GRT), British merchant ships ofConvoy SC 52.Everoja was Latvian owned and carried an Irish cargo. However, she transferred to the British registry and sailed under theRed Ensign.[3] Twenty-one days into her fifth patrol on 15 January 1942,U-203 sank a small (632 GRT) Portuguese ship,Catalina. Two days later, the Norwegian shipOctavian would also be sunk. It was never confirmed that the Octavian was sunk by the U-203. It was surmised, the Octavain was actually never in the area where the U-203 said it was torpedoed. The Octavian was positively identified and found on 4 July 2018 off the coast of Maryland. Four torpedoes were fired at the Canadian shipNorth Gaspe, which survived the attack. One torpedo detonated close to the ship, but none actually hit.
U-203's sixth patrol resulted in a total loss of 14,232 GRT to the Allies and two additional ships damaged, including the British merchant shipsSan Delfino andEmpire Thrush. Damaged were the American tankerHenry F. Sinclair, Jr. and the Panamanian flagged tankerStanvac Melbourne.
A seventh patrol beginning 4 June 1942, resulted in 32,985 GRT of shipping destroyed. The BrazilianPedrinhas and the BritishPutney Hill were sunk on 26 June. Two days later the AmericanLiberty ShipSam Houston was torpedoed and then finished off with 43 rounds from thedeck gun. The BritishCape Verde was sunk on 9 July and the Panamanian tankerStanvac Palembang on 11 July bringing the tally to five victories on this successful patrol.
The next 23-day sortie was unfruitful; however, the U-boat's commander, Rolf Mützelburg, died during this patrol on 11 September. Taking the opportunity to go swimming in the Atlantic southwest of theAzores, he dived from the conning tower and struck the deck with his head and shoulder when the U-boat lurched suddenly in the swell. The doctor fromU-462, a 'Milk Cow' supply submarine, arrived the next day, but too late. Rolf Mützelburg was buried at sea on 12 September 1942 in position36°14′N31°21′W / 36.233°N 31.350°W /36.233; -31.350. He was replaced byKptlt. Hermann Kottman, who served as captain for the remainder ofU-203's career.
Her ninth patrol, beginning 15 October 1942 and terminating 6 November, yielded two further ships sunk. The British merchantmenHopecastle andCorinaldo (5,178 and 7,131 GRT, respectively) were sunk on 29 October and 30 October while traveling withConvoy SL-125.
U-203 undertook two more patrols, both unsuccessful. On 25 April 1943 while south ofCape Farewell,Greenland she was sunk by depth charges in position55°05′N42°25′W / 55.083°N 42.417°W /55.083; -42.417. She had been attacked byFairey Swordfish aircraft operating from the British escort carrierHMS Biter and the British destroyerHMS Pathfinder. Ten men were killed, there were 38 survivors.
U-203 took part in elevenwolfpacks, namely:
U-203 sank 21 ships and damaged three others for a total of 111,322 GRT.
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Convoy | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 June 1941 | Kinross |  United Kingdom | 4,956 | OB 336 | Sunk |
| 24 June 1941 | Soløy |  Norway | 4,402 | HX 133 | Sunk |
| 27 July 1941 | Hawkinge | United Kingdom | 2,475 | OG-69 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1941 | Lapland | United Kingdom | 1,330 | OG-69 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1941 | Norita |  Sweden | 1,516 | OG-69 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1941 | Avoceta | United Kingdom | 3,442 | HG-73 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1941 | Lapwing | United Kingdom | 1,348 | HG-73 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1941 | Varangberg | Norway | 2,842 | HG-73 | Sunk |
| 3 November 1941 | Empire Gemsbuck | United Kingdom | 5,626 | SC 52 | Sunk |
| 3 November 1941 | Everoja | United Kingdom | 4,830 | SC 52 | Sunk |
| 15 January 1942 | Catalina |  Portugal | 632 | Sunk | |
| 17 January 1942 | Octavian | Norway | 1,345 | Sunk | |
| 21 January 1942 | North Gaspe |  Canada | 888 | Damaged | |
| 10 April 1942 | San Delfino | United Kingdom | 8,072 | Sunk | |
| 11 April 1942 | Harry F. Sinclair, Jr. |  United States | 6,151 | Damaged | |
| 12 April 1942 | Stanvac Melbourne |  Panama | 10,013 | Damaged | |
| 14 April 1942 | Empire Thrush | United Kingdom | 6,160 | Sunk | |
| 26 June 1942 | Pedrinhas |  Brazil | 3,666 | Sunk | |
| 26 June 1942 | Putney Hill | United Kingdom | 5,216 | Sunk | |
| 28 June 1942 | Sam Houston | United States | 7,176 | Sunk | |
| 9 July 1942 | Cape Verde | United Kingdom | 6,914 | Sunk | |
| 11 July 1942 | Stanvac Palembang | Panama | 10,013 | Sunk | |
| 29 October 1942 | Hopecastle | United Kingdom | 5,178 | SL-125 | Sunk |
| 30 October 1942 | Corinaldo | United Kingdom | 7,131 | SL-125 | Sunk |
| Patrol | Departure | Date | Return | Date | Duration (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kiel | 5 June 1941 | St Nazaire | 29 June 1941 | 25 |
| 2nd | St Nazaire | 10 July 1941 | St Nazaire | 31 July 1941 | 22 |
| 3rd | St Nazaire | 20 September 1941 | Brest | 30 September 1941 | 11 |
| 4th | Brest | 18 October 1941 | Brest | 12 November 1941 | 26 |
| 5th | Brest | 25 December 1941 | Brest | 29 January 1942 | 36 |
| 6th | Brest | 12 March 1942 | Brest | 30 April 1942 | 50 |
| 7th | Lorient | 4 June 1942 | Brest | 29 July 1942 | 56 |
| 8th | Brest | 27 August 1942 | Brest | 18 September 1942 | 24 |
| 9th | Brest | 15 October 1942 | Lorient | 6 November 1942 | 23 |
| 10th | Lorient | 6 December 1942 | Brest | 7 January 1943 | 33 |
| 11th | Brest | 3 April 1943 | Sunk | 25 April 1943 | 23 |
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1943 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
