German submarine U-630

German submarine U-630 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Commissioned in mid-1942, the vessel conducted a single war patrol in the North Atlantic as part of the Battle of the Atlantic. Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Werner Winkler, U-630 was sunk with all hands by an RAF Coastal Command aircraft in May 1943.

Design and construction

U-630 was a Type VIIC submarine, the workhorse of the Kriegsmarine's U-boat fleet. The keel was laid down on 23 August 1941 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, under construction number 606. The vessel was launched on 6 May 1942 and formally commissioned into service on 25 June 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Winkler. As a Type VIIC, it was an ocean-going attack submarine designed for extended patrols, displacing 769 tonnes on the surface and 871 tonnes submerged. Its propulsion system consisted of two MAN diesel engines for surface running and two Siemens electric motors for submerged travel, giving it a top speed of over 17 knots on the surface. Armament included five torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) for a complement of fourteen torpedoes, a deck-mounted 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, and later an enhanced anti-aircraft suite featuring 2 cm Flak guns.

Service history

After commissioning and working up with the 5th U-boat Flotilla in Kiel, U-630 was assigned to the 11th U-boat Flotilla based in Bergen for front-line operations. Its only operational patrol began on 4 April 1943 when it departed Kiel for the North Atlantic. The boat was directed to operate as part of a wolfpack, a coordinated group attack tactic favored by Karl Dönitz, the commander of the U-boat Arm. During this patrol, U-630 was assigned to the Fink and later the Amsel wolfpacks, which were positioned to intercept Allied convoys on the vital shipping routes between North America and the United Kingdom. The patrol was uneventful, with the boat failing to engage or sink any Allied vessels before its loss.

Fate

On 6 May 1943, U-630 was operating south of Iceland when it was attacked and sunk by a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber (serial FL923 'H') of No. 120 Squadron RAF, part of RAF Coastal Command. The aircraft, piloted by Flight Lieutenant H. J. B. Day, was escorting Convoy SC 129 and sighted the surfaced U-boat. A depth charge attack was made from low altitude, resulting in the immediate destruction of U-630. The submarine sank at position 52°40′N 31°58′W, taking all 47 members of its crew, including commander Werner Winkler, to their deaths. The loss occurred during the pivotal and devastating period for the Kriegsmarine known as "Black May", when Allied air and naval forces inflicted crippling losses on the U-boat force.

Summary of raiding history

During its sole war patrol, U-630 did not succeed in damaging or sinking any Allied ships. Consequently, it has no recorded tonnage or vessel claims against its name. The boat's operational history is marked by its brief and ultimately fatal deployment during a period of intense Allied counter-pressure in the Atlantic Ocean, which saw a dramatic shift in fortunes against the U-boat campaign.

Category:Type VIIC submarines Category:U-boats commissioned in 1942 Category:U-boats sunk in 1943 Category:Maritime incidents in May 1943 Category:Ships built in Hamburg Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean