German submarine U-315

German submarine U-315 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 7 July 1942 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as 'werk' 315, launched on 29 May 1943 and commissioned on 10 July under the command of Oberleutnant Herbert Zoller.

During her career, the U-boat sailed on 11 combat patrols, sinking one ship and causing another to be declared a total loss, before she surrendered in May 1945.

She was a member of 13 wolfpacks.

Service history
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 10 July 1943. She was then transferred to the 11th flotilla for operations on 1 March 1944. She was reassigned to the 13th flotilla on 15 September 1944.

The boat made the short journey from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway, in February 1944.

1st patrol
The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Bergen on 21 February 1944. After covering the Norwegian and Barents seas, she docked at Narvik on 9 March.

2nd - 6th patrols
A similar pattern now became apparent, except her sixth sortie took the U-boat to the entrance to Murmansk in the Soviet Union.

7th, 8th and 9th patrols
U-315's seventh foray was, at five days, her shortest; starting in Bogenbucht (west of Narvik), on 29 September 1944 and finishing in Hammerfest on 3 October.

Her eighth patrol was fairly routine, after which she moved from Kilbotn to Skjomenfjord in November 1944.

The boat's ninth patrol was much the same as her eighth, passing north of Bear Island between 29 and 30 November 1944.

10th patrol
Patrol number 10 took the submarine to the 'gap' between the Faroe and Shetland Islands.

11th patrol
What turned out to be U-315's last patrol was her longest (69 days) and most successful. On 22 March 1945, she sank the Empire Kingsley northwest of Lands End. In the same area, she torpedoed HMCS Teme on 29 March. The Canadian frigate lost 60 ft of her stern and although she did not sink, was declared a total loss.

Fate
The boat surrendered in Trondheim at war's end. There, she was broken up in March 1947.