Type | VIIA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 1 Apr 1935 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 24 Jan 1936 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 911) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 4 Aug 1936 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 8 Oct 1936 | Kptlt. Hans Cohausz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 8 patrols |
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| Successes | 16 ships sunk, total tonnage 86,165 GRT 1 auxiliary warship sunk, total tonnage 325 GRT 1 ship damaged, total tonnage 5,642 GRT 1 warship damaged, total tonnage 31,100 tons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Decommissioned on 23 January 1945 and used as instructional boat. Scuttled on 5 May 1945 in Kupfermühlen Bay near Flensburg. Wreck broken up in 1948. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Final location | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-30 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Prien (15 Jun 1940 - 17 Jun 1940)
Attacks on this boat and other events
14 Sep 1939
After stopping the British freighter Fanad Head, the boat was attacked by three British Blackburn Skua aircraft (803 Sqn FAA) from HMS Ark Royal, two of which were destroyed by the explosions of their own bombs. Three U-boat crew were wounded by shrapnel and two British airmen captured.
14 Sep 1939
After sinking the British freighter Fanad Head, the boat was bombed by six Swordfish (810 and 821 Sqn FAA) from HMS Ark Royal and depth charged by HMS Bedouin and HMS Punjabi for four hours before managing to escape.
2 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
3 Sep 1939. This boat sank the first ship in the war when she sank the 13,581 ton passenger ship Athenia by mistake (taking her to be an Armed Merchant Cruiser, AMC).
19 Sep 1939. U-30 stops by Reykjavík, Iceland to drop off an injured sailor (Adolph Schmidt) from the attack on 14 Sep. The boat arrived at 0900 and left shortly after 1200 local time, heading back to Germany.
7 Jul 1940. This boat was the first U-boat to make use of the newly captured French bases when she arrived at Lorient on 7 July 1940.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-30 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
U-boat Emblems
We have 3 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 V |
 Small dog in a Circle |
 Severed Hand Bleeding |
Media links
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There was another U-30 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 15 Nov 1913 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 26 Aug 1914. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 30 during WWI.
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