German submarine U-306 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 16 September 1941 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as yard number 306, launched on 29 August 1942 and commissioned on 21 October under the command of Oberleutnant Claus von Trotha.
During her career, the U-boat sailed on five combat patrols, sinking one ship and damaging two others, before she was sunk on 31 October 1943 in mid-Atlantic, northwest of the Azores by British warships.
She was a member of three wolfpacks.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-306 had a displacement of 769t when at the surface and 871t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.1m (220.1feet), a pressure hull length of 50.5m (165.7feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaNPS for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-306 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin 2sp=usNaNsp=us C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla on 21 October 1942. She was then transferred to the 1st flotilla for operations on 1 March 1943.
The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Kiel on 25 February 1943. On 22 April she sank the Amerika south of Cape Farewell, Greenland. The next day she damaged the Silvermaple. She arrived in Brest in occupied France, on 9 May.
U-306s second foray was relatively uneventful; starting in Brest, it took her as far south as Guinea-Bissau. Off the Gambia, she damaged the Kaipara on 16 July 1943. The boat then docked in Lorient on 11 August.
Her third sortie was rather brief, lasting between 23 and 24 September 1943.
On her fourth patrol, she sailed along the French Atlantic coast toward St. Nazaire.
The boat was sunk northwest of the Azores by depth charges dropped from the British destroyer and the corvette on 31 October 1943.
Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 April 1943 | Amerika |  United Kingdom | 10,218 | Sunk | |
| 23 April 1943 | Silvermaple | United Kingdom | 5,313 | Damaged | |
| 16 July 1943 | Kaipara | United Kingdom | 5,882 | Damaged |