German submarine U-251

German submarine U-251 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 18 October 1940 at the Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft (yard) in Bremen as 'werk' 16, launched on 26 July 1941 and commissioned on 20 September under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Timm.

In ten patrols, she sank two ships of 11,408 GRT. She was a member of three wolf packs.

She was sunk by British and Norwegian aircraft in the Kattegat in April 1945.

Service history
After training with the 6th U-boat Flotilla, she became operational on 1 May 1942. U-245 was transferred to the 11th flotilla on 1 July and the 13th flotilla on 1 June 1943. There followed spells with the 24th, 21st and 31st flotillas, (see infobox for dates).

1st patrol
The boat's first patrol was preceded by a short trip between Kiel and Kristiansand in Norway. Her first sortie proper began with her departure from Kristiansand on 20 April 1942. The second part of this patrol was marked by sinking the Jutland south of Bear Island on 3 May after the ship had been hit by bombs from German aircraft. She then made three forays from Kirkenes, Skjomenfjord and Trondheim over the rest of May.

2nd patrol
Her second patrol was also in May and covered the eastern Norwegian Sea.

3rd patrol
The submarine sank the El Capitan on 17 July 1942 near northeast Iceland. This ship was with Convoy PQ-17 before being attacked by Luftwaffe Ju-88s. The ship had been abandoned; U-251 finished her off.

For the rest of her career, the U-boat patrolled northern waters; at one time steaming as far north and east as Novaya Zemlya in the Kara Sea.

10th patrol and loss
By the time of her tenth sortie, the Allies dominated the air. This situation was dramatically demonstrated when the boat was sunk by rockets from no less than eight British and Norwegian Mosquitos of 143, 235 and 248 squadrons in the Kattegat on 19 April 1945.

Thirty-nine men died; there were four survivors.