German submarine U-203

Commissioning of U-203 in Kiel, February 1941; note the coat of arms for Essen on the conning tower and the ice
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-203
Ordered:	23 September 1939
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid down:	28 March 1940
Launched:	4 January 1941
Commissioned:	18 February 1941
Fate:	Sunk 25 April 1943 by British aircraft and a British warship. 10 dead, 38 survivors
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type VIIC U-boat
Displacement:	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.10 m (220.1 ft) o/a 50.50 m (165.7 ft) pressure hull
Beam:	6.20 m (20.3 ft) o/a 4.70 m (15.4 ft) pressure hull
Draught:	4.74 m (15.6 ft)
Installed power:	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed:	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range:	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament:	4 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (bow) 14 torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun with 220 rounds various anti-aircraft guns
Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine 1st U-boat Flotilla 18 February 1941 – 25 April 1943
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg 18 February 1941 – 11 September 1942 Oblt.z.S. Hans Seidel 11–20 September 1942 Kptlt. Hermann Kottmann 21 September 1942 – 25 April 1943
Operations:	11 patrols 1st patrol: 5–29 June 1941 2nd patrol: 10–31 July 1941 3rd patrol: 20–30 September 1941 4th patrol: 18 October – 12 November 1941 5th patrol: 25 December 1941 – 29 January 1942 6th patrol: 12 March – 30 April 1942 7th patrol: 4 June – 29 July 1942 8th patrol: 27 August – 18 September 1942 9th patrol: 15 October – 6 November 1942 10th patrol: 6 December 1942 – 7 January 1943 11th patrol: 3–25 April 1943
Victories:	21 ships sunk for a total of 94,270 GRT 3 ships damaged for a total of 17,052 GRT

German submarine U-203 was a German Type VIIC submarine U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.

Built as yard number 632 of Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft AG in Kiel, she was laid down on 28 March 1940, launched on 4 January 1941 and commissioned on 18 February under Kapitänleutnant Rolf Mützelburg.

U-203 carried out eleven patrols with the first flotilla and is credited with sinking 21 ships for 94,270 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging a further three for 17,052 GRT. She was a member of eleven wolfpacks.

She was sunk by British carrier-borne aircraft and a British warship southeast of Greenland in April 1943.

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-203 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).