The steel Type VIIC/41 submarine U-297 was laid down at the Bremer Vulken Werft, Vegsack, Bremen (Yard No 62) on 27th January 1943. Launched on 9th October that year she 220.4′ x 20.3′ x 15.5′ and her tonnage was 759 surface displacement tons, 860 submerged displacement tons. She was powered by 2 x Germaniawerft F46 4 stroke 6 cylinder diesel engines delivering 3000 shaft horse power and 2 x AEG GU 460/8-27 electric motors delivering 740 shaft horse power when submerged. The engines gave her a top speed of 18 knots on the surface and 8 knots when submerged. She was armed with 4 x 55.3 cm torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern 14 torpedoes), 1 x 8.8cm deck gun, 1 x 3.7cm M42 flak gun and 2 x 2cm AA guns. She was commissioned on 17th November 1943 and assigned to the 8th U-boat Flotilla based at Konigsberg mainly for training duties. On 1st November 1944 she was re-assigned to her first active service duties, this time to the 11th U-boat flotilla based in Keil.
Oberlieutnant Wolfgang Aldergarman
On 25th November 1944 U-297 departed from Horten, Norway under the command of Oberlieutnant Wolfgang Aldergarman who had a crew of forty nine men aboard. Over the next ten days she patrolled an area extending to south of the Faroes before heading south east towards Orkney. There are no recorded attacks on allied shipping in the period attributed to U-297. On 6th December she reached a position some 15 miles east of Orkney mainland when she was attacked by two British warships, the Captain class frigate HMS Goodall and the Loch class frigate HMS Loch Insh. The ships were in fact searching for U-775 which had earlier that day sunk HMS Bullen and attacked a U-boat target with depth charges reporting debris and oil floating to the surface after the attack. Later the same day a Sunderland patrolling the area spotted a wake of a U-boat periscope and attacked with her first run missing the submarine. During a second they straddled the vessel with depth charge bombs reporting a large oil patch on the surface soon after. Although the identity of the U-boat could not be established at the time or indeed the success of their bomb attack verified, U-297 was not seen again. Post war analysis suggested that the two warships and the Sunderland had in fact attacked and finally sunk U-297. The commander and crew of U-297 were lost.
HMS Goodall
HMS Loch Insh
The wreck believed to be U-297 lies in position 59° 00.859’N, 003° 53.755’W oriented 100/280 degrees. She lies in 79 metres with a least depth clearance of 72 metres. The wreck has been visited by divers who report a Type VIIC submarine sitting upright with a slight list to port. All the hatches are shut indicating that the crew were lost with the U-boat. The position of the wreck of a Type VIIC submarine strongly indicates that this is U-297.
