U-309 or is it U-1020
Located - 17th May 2001
First dived - 2nd July 2001
Position - 25 miles off Wick
The U-309 was a type VIIC submarine operated by the German navy during ww2. She hade a displacement submerged of 871 tons and measured 67.1m long, 6.2m beam and 4.74 draught. She was powered by two 1600 horse power diesels driving two screws giving a surface top speed of 17.7 knots and a battery powered top submerged speed of 7.6 knots. She was commissioned at Lubeck on 24 January 1943 where she was built in the Flender-Werke yard. During her career she carried out nine patrols but only had one success, damaging a 7,219 ton cargo ship. She carried a crew of 47 and her captain at the time of her loss was Oberlieutenant Herbert Loeder.
On the 16 February 1945 she was shadowing allied convoy number WN 74 into the Moray Firth when the ASDIC on the Canadian frigate HMCS St. John detected her. The first attack on U-309 produced some oil on the surface. Two further attacks were carried out using the hedgehog anti submarine mortar weapons system, this produced further oil. The fourth attack using depth charges produced wreckage including charts, signal books and cork insulation material. A further attack the next day released a body.
U-309 was lost with all hands.
She lies today in about 62m of water off the east coast of Scotland and has now been dived three times. She lies on her port side with the conning tower quite intact (hatch open) and the hull in reasonable condition. Life boat canisters with contents intact lie on the sea bed, three forward and one aft. Depth charge damage is clear in two places both fore and aft of the conning tower and a curious split is seen toward the intact stern, it looks as if she was rammed but no evidence of this appears in the reports of the action. We think that this must have occurred as she hit bottom stern first and twisted.
Her bows are blown off and lie on the sea bed just away from the main wreck, did this happen as a result of the attacks that followed her demise. Her four torpedo tubes are clearly visible here showing forward out of the broken pressure hull.
It is difficult getting an absolute id on any u-boat and it is as a result of the wreck fitting the description of U-309 and the position reflecting the attack report that we deduce that this is in fact U-309. As with any U-boat wreck absolute ID without personal belongings of crew or internal fittings is never positive and out of our thoughts for the dead crew we do not plan such an invasion.
Still Pictures by Ian Potten and Petra Lachmann
TEAM MEMBERS John Thornton John Leigh Bruce Humby Petra Lachmann Ian Potten Jo Wisely Ian Huntingdon Stuart Murray Gary Patterson Tim Hayes Lorne Thompson |
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© 2004 Scapa Flow Diving & Johns Charters - Orkney