German submarine U-203

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-203
Ordered	23 September 1939[1]
Builder	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number	632
Laid down	28 March 1940[1]
Launched	4 January 1941[1]
Commissioned	18 February 1941[1]
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:	1st U-boat Flotilla[1] 18 February 1941 – 25 April 1943
Identification codes:	M 36 449
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg[1] 18 February 1941 – 11 September 1942 Oblt.z.S. Hans Seidel[1] 11 – 20 September 1942 Kptlt. Hermann Kottmann[1] 21 September 1942 – 25 April 1943
Operations:	11 patrols:[1] 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: a. 12 March – 30 April 1942 b. 3 – 4 June 1942 7th patrol: 4 June – 29 July 1942 8th patrol: a. 27 August – 11 September 1942 b. 11 – 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 merchant ships sunk (94,270 GRT) 3 merchant ships damaged (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.^[1]

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 on 25 April 1943.