Events on this day
30 January
This is a run-down from several databases on our site. It's meant to give a clear picture of events on this date, all year round.
U-boat Shipyard report
Ordered (0) | Laid down (5) | Launched (1) | Commissioned (6) |
No U-boat orders on this date | 1941: U-175, U-217 1942: U-231, U-310 1943: U-1006 | 1944: U-1014 | 1941: U-555 1942: U-461UD-5 1943: U-237U-737U-762 |
These are commissioned boats. For more see our Shipyard pages. |
Allied Ships hit on this date
U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Country | Convoy | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | |||||||
U-55 | Heidel | ![]() | Keramiai | 5,085 | ![]() | OA-80G | |
U-55 | Heidel | ![]() | Vaclite | 5,026 | ![]() | OA-80G | |
1941 | |||||||
U-94 | Kuppisch | ![]() | Rushpool | 5,125 | ![]() | SC-19 | |
1942 | |||||||
U-106 | Rasch | ![]() | Rochester | 6,836 | ![]() | ||
1944 | |||||||
U-278 | Franze | ![]() | HMS Hardy (R 08) | 1,810 | ![]() | JW-56B | |
23,882 | |||||||
* Unless otherwise noted the ships listed here were sunk. (d) = damaged See all Allied ships hit by U-boats during WWII. |
Attacks on this day
1943
U-175. 1657hrs, southwest of Dakar: A British Catalina aircraft (270 Sqn RAF/G) dropped 6 depth charges on the boat. The extensive damage limited the ability to dive and an oil leak caused a serious loss of fuel that had to be replenished from U-118 (Czygan) on 11 February. (Rohwer/Ritschel)
U-boats lost
1940: U-55 , U-15 +
1944: U-314 +
75 men died when those 3 U-boats were lost on this date. 41 men survived.
Survivors from U-boats almost always landed in allied captivity.
U-boats marked with + were lost with all hands.
- For more information on U-boat losses check out our Fates section.
U-boat Men Lost or Wounded
There were no men lost from U-boats on this date, 30 January.
- For more information on Men lost from U-boats check out this page.
Personnel Information
The following men were born on this day:
Ludwig Franz (1918), Eberhard von Ketelhodt (1920), Hans Märtens (1918), Karl Neitzel (1901), Werner Roost (1909), Heinrich Schäfer (1907), Bernhard Schwarting (1913), Kurt Sturm (1906).
The following men died on this day:
Georg-Wilhelm Basse (1944), Peter Frahm (1940), Werner Heidel (1940), Gerhard Stoelker (1971).
See the entire U-boat commander listing showing all U-boat commanders.
We might include more officers (Allied and Axis) at a later date.
U-boat departures and arrivals on 30 January
This section shows the U-boat departures and arrivals from bases on this day of the year. Current country names shown with harbour names. Boats entering port display days at sea during that patrol.
1940
U-boats entering base:
To Wilhelmshaven, Germany: U-61 (16 days)
1941
Sailed:
From Lorient, France: U-37, U-96
1942
Sailed:
From Bergen, Norway: U-136
U-boats entering base:
To La Pallice U-87 (38 days)
To Lorient, France: U-588 (23 days)
To St. Nazaire, France: U-94 (19 days)
1943
Sailed:
From Bergen, Norway: U-376, U-377
From Kiel, Germany: U-448, U-529 (lost 17 days later)
From Lorient, France: U-107, U-183, U-519 (lost days later)
From Pola: U-81
U-boats entering base:
To Kristiansand U-468 (3 days)
1944
Sailed:
From Hammerfest, Norway: U-360
U-boats entering base:
To Brest, France: U-471 (65 days)
To La Pallice U-302 (56 days)
To Penang, Malaysia: U-183 (3 days)
To St. Nazaire, France: U-981 (65 days)
1945
Sailed:
From Kiel, Germany: U-309, U-857, U-878
From Kristiansand: U-327 (lost 5 days later), U-866
U-boats entering base:
To Bergen, Norway: U-485 (63 days)
To Kiel, Germany: U-242 (19 days), U-1001 (27 days)
To Kristiansand U-680 (9 days)
To Narvik, Norway: U-636 (37 days)
To Swinemünde U-348 (28 days)
U-boats at sea on 30 January
Boats entering port on this day are not counted, but boats departing for patrol are. (+) indicates the boat was lost during this patrol.
1940
U-10, U-13, U-17, U-20, U-21, U-24, U-25, U-26, U-31, U-34, U-37, U-41 (+), U-44, U-48, U-51, U-56, U-58, U-59.
18 boats at sea.
1941
U-37, U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
12 boats at sea.
1942
U-66, U-67, U-73, U-81, U-82 (+), U-84, U-85, U-86, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-128, U-129, U-130, U-132, U-135, U-136, U-156, U-161, U-205, U-213, U-331, U-332, U-333, U-352, U-372, U-375, U-402, U-404, U-431, U-432, U-435, U-453, U-454, U-455, U-502, U-504, U-505, U-553, U-561, U-563, U-564, U-565, U-566, U-572, U-575, U-576, U-581 (+), U-582, U-584, U-585, U-586, U-587, U-591, U-654, U-701, U-751, U-753, U-754.
66 boats at sea.
1943
U-19, U-24, U-43, U-66, U-69 (+), U-71, U-77, U-81, U-83, U-87 (+), U-89, U-96, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-117, U-118, U-123, U-124, U-125, U-135, U-156 (+), U-160, U-175, U-176, U-182 (+), U-183, U-186, U-187 (+), U-201 (+), U-202, U-214, U-217, U-218, U-223, U-226, U-255, U-257, U-258, U-260, U-262, U-264, U-265 (+), U-266, U-267, U-268 (+), U-303, U-332, U-333, U-358, U-376, U-377, U-381, U-383, U-384, U-402, U-403, U-404, U-407, U-413, U-414, U-431, U-436, U-438, U-439, U-442 (+), U-444, U-448, U-453, U-454, U-456, U-459, U-460, U-465, U-466, U-504, U-506, U-509, U-510, U-511, U-514, U-516, U-518, U-519 (+), U-521, U-522 (+), U-525, U-529 (+), U-558, U-571, U-572, U-575, U-584, U-594, U-596, U-598, U-606 (+), U-607, U-608, U-609 (+), U-613, U-614, U-617, U-620 (+), U-624 (+), U-625, U-631, U-632, U-653, U-657, U-662, U-704, U-706, U-707, U-752, U-753, U-755.
117 boats at sea.
1944
U-18, U-24, U-66 (+), U-91 (+), U-123, U-129, U-177 (+), U-178, U-188, U-193, U-212, U-223, U-230, U-238 (+), U-256, U-257 (+), U-260, U-278, U-281, U-283 (+), U-309, U-312, U-313, U-371, U-386 (+), U-390, U-406 (+), U-407, U-413, U-424 (+), U-425, U-437, U-441, U-453, U-455, U-510, U-516, U-518, U-530, U-532, U-539, U-545 (+), U-546, U-547, U-549, U-586, U-592 (+), U-601, U-608, U-636, U-650, U-666 (+), U-709 (+), U-714, U-716, U-731, U-737, U-739, U-762 (+), U-763, U-764, U-802, U-845 (+), U-846, U-852 (+), U-953, U-956, U-957, U-960, U-963, U-965, U-967, U-969, U-984, U-985, U-989, U-990, U-1062, UIT-22 (+).
79 boats at sea.
1945
U-195, U-244, U-245, U-275, U-278, U-285, U-286, U-293, U-299, U-300 (+), U-307, U-309, U-313, U-325, U-327 (+), U-370, U-427, U-475, U-510, U-532, U-676 (+), U-739, U-745 (+), U-764, U-806, U-825, U-843, U-861, U-862, U-868, U-869 (+), U-870, U-905, U-907, U-963, U-992, U-1004, U-1009, U-1014 (+), U-1017, U-1018 (+), U-1055, U-1058, U-1203, U-1208 (+), U-1230, U-1231, U-1232, U-1233, U-1276 (+), U-1279 (+), U-2324, UIT-24.
53 boats at sea.
General Events on 30 January
1940
U-25 was refuelled by the German tanker Thalia in Cadiz harbour, the first time a Spanish port was used for this purpose.
1945
The German passenger ship Wilhelm Gustloff (25,484 tons), ferrying refugees from East Prussia to the west, was torpedoed and sunk by the Russian submarine S-13 (Captain 3rd class Marinesko). This was the greatest tonnage sunk by any Russian submarine in World War II. It was also the most deadly submarine attack in history, and possibly the greatest marine disaster: over 5,000 died.
U-2511 had completed the usual working-up exercises in the Bay of Danzig, as well as trials of new equipment. She left port on 30 January 1945 with her crew and dozens of refugees — of the tens of thousands — who had crowded into Danzig in hopes of safe passage from the Russian incursion. Several hours into her journey, she surfaced near the Stolpe Banks in the Baltic off Leba. There the crew took on survivors from the wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff, which had taken three torpedoes amidships from the Russian submarine S-13. The crew evaded mines, surface ships, and Allied submarines to reach the harbours of Sässnitz/Rügen islands, where their passengers disembarked for a refugee camp.
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