German submarine U - 230 U - 230 was a Type VIIC U - boat built for the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " for service during World War II . She was laid down on 25 November 1941 at the Krupp yard in Kiel as ' werk ' 600 , launched on 10 September and commissioned on 24 October 1942 with " Kapitänleutnant " Paul Siegmann in command . She carried out three patrols and was a member of three wolfpack s before moving to the Mediterranean where she was scuttled by her crew when the Allies landed near Toulon , France . Fitting - out . " U - 230 " was a U - boat that was equipped with a primitive type of radar ; so primitive that the sensor , fixed forward of the conning tower , obliged the boat to circle the horizon searching for potential targets . She was later fitted with Metox , an early form of airborne radar detector ; it replaced a piece of equipment known colloquially as the ' Biscay Cross ' , ( after its first use in the bay of that name ) . This contraption had a disconcerting habit of breaking with monotonous regularity , ( it was made of wood and wire ) . First patrol . " U - 230 " ' s initial sortie began in January 1943 with a snow - storm . She made her way from Kiel to Bergen in Norway , where she loaded enough provisions , fuel and ammunition for a trip to " the United States and back to France " . The boat then steamed northwest , heading for the ' gap ' between the Shetland and Faeroe Islands . The Metox detected an aircraft which unsuccessfully dropped four explosive devices on the crash - diving U - boat . It was only when the boat had reached a depth of that her headlong plunge was checked . More contact with aircraft was subsequently encountered , but their attacks were unsuccessful . " U - 230 " ' s patrol area was east of Newfoundland ; it was reached despite the February storms . The weather was so bad that personnel on watch on the bridge were forced to wear rubber diving suits and eye masks . They had to be secured to the wildly pitching and yawing U - boat by steel belts . Below , it was no better , with bodies being hurled in all directions . The discomfort was forgotten when another U - boat in the ' wolf - pack ' reported the presence of a convoy . " U - 230 " pursued the group of ships , preparing her equipment and weapons as she went . The sound of an explosion and the sight of flames caused a correction of course after a two - day chase . Once the right position was adopted , four torpedo es were fired . Three hits were recorded . The torpedo tubes then had to be re - loaded , no easy task in the mountainous seas . By the time this was accomplished , there was no sign of the convoy . " U - 230 " then dived , to the relatively comfortable depth of . The boat continued to follow the convoy , re - establishing contact rather dramatically by surfacing in its midst . The ships closest to the submarine all appeared to be damaged in some way ; torpedoes were not necessary for their destruction , to fire them would have been pointless . " U - 230 " dived once more . SC 121 . On 8 March , " U - 230 " began hunting for another convoy , SC - 121 , comprising 65 ships . Finding it , the submarine almost collided with a freighter . A torpedo was launched at it from just away . The resulting explosion split the ship in two . " U - 230 " fired two more torpedoes before coming under attack from ships of the escort and narrowly escaping serious damage from a disintegrating 10 , 000 - ton cargo ship . It was later deduced that this vessel ( an ammunition ship ) , had been attacked by another U - boat . " U - 230 " tried to dive , but surface tension held the boat while escort ships bore down on the hapless submarine . After a wild rush by crew members to the forward torpedo room , the boat reached a depth of nearly before suffering sustained depth charge attacks . Eventually , the escorts withdrew ; " U - 230 " surfaced rather cautiously , ventilated the boat , charged her batteries and continued after the convoy . SC 122 . " U - 230 " , as part of a 40 - boat pack , took up a new position under the direction of " BdU " , ( U - boat headquarters ) , in an area of some of the North Atlantic . The U - boats were hoping to intercept a convoy , SC - 122 , outward bound from Halifax , in Nova Scotia . The convoy was spotted by one of the group ; all U - boats were ordered to converge on it . " U - 230 " closed the convoy , with one of her lookouts exclaiming : " Shadows on [ sic ] port , distance 6 , 500 . Its the whole herd ! " There then followed some frenzied jockeying for position . The U - boat crewmen were constantly reminded of their wake , which was conspicuous in the moonlight . The submarine fired five ' eels ' ( U - boat slang for torpedoes ) , scoring three hits . Return to base . The boat withdrew , signalling " BdU " that she had sunk a total of seven ships and damaged two more . Having expended all of her torpedoes , " U - 230 " set sail for Brest in France . It was not all over yet however , as " U - 230 " found . The Bay of Biscay was a hazardous area for U - boats , having to constantly crash - dive because of marauding British aircraft . Siegmann decided that it would be safer to travel on the surface at night , diving during daylight . At one point , the U - boat found herself in the middle of a fleet of French fishing boats . Having met up with her escort , " U - 230 " sailed into Brest harbour in late March 1943 , to be greeted by well - wishers , a band , senior officers , girls with flowers and an overhaul . Second patrol . " U - 230 " set out for her second patrol on 24 April 1943 . She was initially accompanied by " U - 456 " . After safely negoiating the Bay of Biscay , the boat was instructed to head for an area in the mid - Atlantic where an east - bound convoy was expected . On 2 May , in much better weather than that of the first patrol , a ship was sighted which was seen to be from neutral Sweden and allowed to pass unmolested . < br > On 12 May , a convoy ( reported by the captain to consist of 100 ships ) was sighted ; the boat worked its way into an attack position . As " U - 230 " was about to commence her underwater assault , the vessels changed course . They sailed away at 11 knots , " U - 230 " could not catch them while beneath the surface . It was a classic demonstration of the Type VII U - boat ' s inferior submerged speed which was no better than just over seven knots . She could only risk surfacing to move to a new attack position . The boat had barely started to do this when she was unsuccessfully attacked by " a twin - engined plane " . It was decided that since the nearest land was too far away to be in range , the machine could only have come from an aircraft carrier . The whole process was repeated a few hours later with a similar result . Many more times " U - 230 " was attacked and many more times the boat ' s luck held . On one occasion a single - engined plane came too close to the boat and was shot down . The pilot was killed . Throughout this period " U - 230 " had intercepted a steady stream of signals from other boats being attacked and sunk by aircraft . By the end of the patrol a total of eleven submarines had been lost . Battle for survival . " U - 230 " continued to harry the convoy and was heavily depth - charged ( more than 200 ) in return . At one point the crew thought they had evaded the ' hunter ' group , but it was merely allowing the ' killer ' group of escort ships to replace it . Potash cartridges were distributed amongst the submarine ' s crew to help breathing . " U - 230 " reached a depth of , far below the test depth . Eventually , " the Tommies had given up the hunt " and " U - 230 " surfaced after 35 hours underwater . A sense of " déjà vu " enveloped the boat when a convoy was spotted , chased , and lost as it sailed away from them . The eerie feeling was maintained when an aircraft dropped several bombs on the diving U - boat , including a smoke bomb ( to indicate the U - boat ' s position to the follow - up forces ) . Siegmann decided that discretion was the better part of valour and ordered the boat to leave the area quickly on the surface . More air attacks followed , but " U - 230 " continued to defy the odds . The boat dived to , a total of 300 depth charges vainly seeking her out . Once again , " U - 230 " had escaped , suffering a lot of damage , including a ruptured fuel tank which had caused a line of rainbow colours to spread on the surface . This trail had led the British to assume that their enemy was mortally wounded and that their presence was no longer required . To make up for the loss of fuel , " U - 230 " was ordered to rendezvous with " U - 634 " for a transfer of diesel oil . Almost two nervous hours were needed before the operation was complete . Although she now had enough fuel to reach Brest , enemy aircraft had other ideas . Over the next few days , " U - 230 " endured a steady stream of air and depth charge attacks . While dealing with one of these , a fire broke out in the control room . It was fought by several men with extinguishers . On another occasion the boat suffered a surprise attack by a B 24 Liberator fitted with a Leigh Light . This led Siegmann to the conclusion that the British had a whole range of new and effective weapons . Return . " U - 230 " reached Brest on 28 May 1943 . The band was missing , but the girls with flowers were there . The boat would have to go into dry dock where she remained until the end of June . Chesapeake Bay . " U - 230 " took 24 mines for laying in Chesapeake Bay , opposite the US Navy Base at Norfolk on the eastern coast of the United States . She also took a new crew member , a doctor , whose sea - going experience was nil . The boat departed without ceremony on 5 July . She was due to meet - up with " U - 506 " and " U - 533 " from Lorient . The idea was that the three boats would combine their anti - aircraft firepower while crossing the Bay of Biscay . That theory was severely tested when the small fleet was attacked by three Liberators and a Sunderland flying boat . In the ensuing battle , the Sunderland was shot down , but not before a gunner on " U - 230 " was wounded . The encounter ended when all three U - boats dived . Laying the mines . The wounded gunner was treated by the doctor , who , duty complete , retreated to his berth from which he hardly moved for the rest of the patrol , a victim of extreme seasickness . " U - 230 " arrived in Chesapeake Bay on 27 July , several crew members caught sight of the illuminated American coast , but due to the frequency of shipping , she was not able to lay her mines until some hours later , on the 28th . With her task completed in short order , the boat withdrew . She was soon back in the " old routine - diving three or four times daily before aircraft . " On 30 July , the boat ' s signals officer received three distress calls , all in the Bay of Biscay , from the same spot . " U - 230 " could do nothing for the " milch cows " , ( U - tankers ) ; indeed , their loss jeopardized the boat ' s chances of refuelling at sea . On 3 August the submarine received the disturbing news that its Metox , far from giving a warning of enemy radar , was acting as a homing beacon . The device was hurriedly switched off . The fuel situation . Having steamed toward a number of unkept refueling rendezvous , " U - 230 " found herself east of Barbados on 13 August . By now , her fuel state was critical ; just two tons of diesel oil remained in her tanks . She received instructions to meet another U - boat , " U - 117 " . This boat had exhausted all her fuel and was drifting , a sitting duck , but she met " U - 634 " , who was also there for replenishment . " U - 117 " never arrived . Discussions between Siegmann and Dahlhaus ( " U - 634 " s captain ) , resulted in " U - 634 " moving , to the west and informing Headquarters of the situation . BdU ' s response was to direct that " U - 634 " must share her remaining fuel with " U - 230 " which would be sufficient to reach a new rendezvous with another supply boat : " U - 847 " . A total of five U - boats reached the mid - Atlantic refueling point . " U - 230 " ' s Executive Officer , Herbert Werner , could not believe the casual attitude ( to air attack ) being displayed by " U - 847 " : " What ' s the matter with you people , don ' t you have any respect for aircraft ? " His opposite number ( Commander Herbert Kuppisch ) replied : " We haven ' t seen any since we passed Greenland . " " U - 847 " was sunk by aircraft just hours later . All were hands lost . The relentless hunt by anti - submarine forces and air elements continued ; indeed , it seemed to increase in intensity as the boat neared its home base . " U - 230 " evaded everything thrown at her and when the rocks of Brittany were sighted on 8 September , she had been at sea almost ten weeks . After the boat had tied up , Frederich , the Chief , presented Siegmann with a cup of fuel , claiming that was all that he could extract from the tanks . Siegmann replied : " . . . that is how efficiently I operate . I always provide a margin of safety . " Re - fit . " U230 " ' s re - fit included the installation of anti - aircraft guns and the Bug , a new type of radar detector that replaced the obsolete Metox . New torpdoes had also been developed . Third patrol . " U - 230 " ' s third patrol began on 4 October 1943 . As always the highly dangerous Bay of Biscay had to be crossed . It was decided that a series of decoys would be released in an effort at confusing British radar ; they proved to be more of a hinderance than a help . At one stage two of these devices became entangled on the bridge , providing an ample radar - return just when it was not wanted . For a second time a French fishing fleet provided temporary cover . A constant series of aircraft were detected by the ' Bug ' , forcing the boat to dive frequently . Having broken into the North Atlantic , the boat was instructed to attack a convoy southeast of Greenland . It was decided to attack on the surface at night , but that was not so easy as the convoy seemed to have escaped . It was only after those on the bridge sniffed the air for funnel smoke that the first shapes were detected . Four torpedoes were fired , one hit its target . As the night descended into chaos , a homing torpedo was also fired , " U - 230 " dived to avoid it and the wrath of the escorts . Surfacing later to reload her torpedo tubes , the boat came across a corvette alongside a sinking ship , taking off survivors . Siegmann decided not to worsen the situation and turned his submarine away from the rescue scene . A pursuing destroyer , fitted with an infra - red searchlight , showed no such compunction , bearing down on the U - boat which departed the area with some alacrity . The submersible lost the escort in rising seas , but she had not given up attacking the convoy . Two hours before dawn , contact was renewed and one hit was scored . A combination of tenacious defence and the on - coming daylight ensured that the boat would have to dive to evade the air threat . The pattern of chase , attack by aircraft , and dive was repeated every time " U - 230 " tried to re - establish contact with the convoy . Then , on the evening of 26 October , the boat found herself surfaced inside the convoy ' s security cordon . All five torpedo - tubes were rapidly emptied , ( including a 180° turn so that the single stern tube could be used ) . Two , or possibly three hits were registered . The detonations caused three pursuing escort ships to break off their chase . " U - 230 " , all her torpedoes expended , headed for home . The Bay of Biscay gauntlet was run once more , the aerial assault continuing into port . The boat was only relatively safe when she moved into the massive reinforced concrete pens specially constructed to house submarines . The Mediterranean . " U - 230 " s captain received orders to break into the Mediterranean ; when he passed the information on to the officers , the news was greeted with stoicism . During the evening of 26 November , the boat departed Brest once more , only to turn due south almost immediately . The tension increased from 6 December when the boat approached the Strait of Gibraltar , where the British were determined to challenge any enemy passage . Full advantage was taken of the strong current in the narrows . At one stage it was realised that " U - 230 " was not the only presence in the current . The boat ' s hydrophones picked up the sound of dolphins playing and " talking to each other " . The sound of detonating depth charges soon drove them back into the Atlantic . By the afternoon of 7 December it was possible to see the North African and European coasts with one sweep of the periscope ; " U - 230 " was now in the Mediterranean . She was instructed to make for Toulon . A potential suicide mission had been relatively uneventful . She was based in the French city until August 1944 when she ran aground and was subsequently scuttled by her crew , causing U - boat operations in the Mediterranean to cease . Command was transferred to " Oberleutnant zur See " Heinz - Eugen Eberbach , son of general Heinrich Eberbach , on 12 August 1944 . The crew managed to capture a fishing trawler and headed first for Italy , but later decided to head for Spain and internment instead when she received news about the course of the war in Italy . On 27 August 1944 , the destroyer ' s radar picked up the trawler . The American warship was ordered to investigate and found the damaged fishing trawler with an inoperative engine and fifty Germans aboard . The crew of U - 230 was taken prisoner . The trawler was taken in tow . In Baie de Cavalaire the prisoners were turned over to the troop landing craft " LCI - 954 " for delivery to the commander of Task Force 84 .