U-30

U-30. A Type VIIA submarine of the Kriegsmarine, U-30 was one of the first of its class to enter service and gained early notoriety in World War II. Its actions in the opening days of the conflict, including the controversial sinking of a civilian liner, immediately thrust it into the international spotlight. The submarine served throughout much of the Battle of the Atlantic, undertaking numerous patrols under several commanders before meeting its end in the final days of the war.

Service history

U-30 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 1 April 1935 as part of the nascent German submarine rearmament program following the Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Its keel was laid at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen in early 1936, and it was commissioned into the 1st U-boat Flotilla under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz in October of that year. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the submarine participated in training exercises and naval reviews, including a visit by Adolf Hitler to Wilhelmshaven. Following the invasion of Poland, U-30 was one of the first U-boats dispatched into the Atlantic Ocean to begin commerce warfare against Allied shipping.

Design and specifications

As a Type VIIA submarine, U-30 was a design developed from the earlier Type II submarine and the experimental UG boats, optimized for ocean-going operations. It displaced 626 tonnes surfaced and 745 tonnes submerged, with an overall length of 64.51 meters and a beam of 5.85 meters. Propulsion was provided by two MAN diesel engines for surface running and two Siemens electric motors for submerged travel, yielding a top speed of 17 knots on the surface and 8 knots underwater. Its armament consisted of five 533mm torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) with a complement of eleven torpedoes, and it was equipped with a single 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun and a 2 cm anti-aircraft gun on the deck. The standard crew comprised four officers and between 40 to 44 enlisted men.

Operational career

U-30 began its first wartime patrol on 22 August 1939, positioning itself west of the British Isles. On 3 September 1939, it torpedoed and sank the British passenger liner SS *Athenia*, an act Germany initially denied, fearing it would bring the United States into the war; the incident prompted immediate changes to prize regulations. The submarine's subsequent patrols, often operating from bases like Wilhelmshaven and later Lorient, targeted Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. Notable successes included sinking the British freighter SS *Blairlogie* and damaging the armed merchant cruiser HMS *Scotstoun*. U-30 also participated in operations supporting the Invasion of Norway and later conducted minelaying missions off the coast of Ireland. In 1941, it was withdrawn from front-line service and reassigned to training duties with the 22nd U-boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea.

Commanding officers

* 8 October 1936 – 17 December 1939: Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz * 18 December 1939 – 10 May 1940: Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp * 11 May 1940 – 30 November 1940: Oberleutnant zur See Robert Prützmann * 1 December 1940 – 15 August 1941: Oberleutnant zur See Paul-Karl Loeser * 16 August 1941 – 31 October 1941: Oberleutnant zur See Kurt Baberg * 1 November 1941 – 28 February 1943: Various training commanders * 1 March 1943 – 4 May 1945: Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Fischer

Fate

After serving as a training boat in the Baltic Sea for several years, U-30 was caught in Flensburg as the Third Reich collapsed. Following the orders of the German Naval High Command under Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as part of Operation Regenbogen, the submarine was scuttled by its crew on 4 May 1945 to prevent its capture by advancing Allied forces. The wreck was later raised and broken up for scrap in 1948. The story of U-30, particularly its attack on the *Athenia*, has been examined in numerous historical works on the Battle of the Atlantic and the early naval history of World War II.

Category:Type VIIA submarines Category:U-boats commissioned in 1936 Category:World War II submarines of Germany Category:Maritime incidents in 1945