German submarine U-522
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-522 |
| Ordered: | 14 February 1940 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 337 |
| Laid down: | 9 July 1941 |
| Launched: | 1 April 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 11 June 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, February 1943 in mid-Atlantic west of Madeira by a British warship[1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type: | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) overall 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) overall 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,000 hp (2,983 kW) 2 × SSW 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nautical miles (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 48 to 56 |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (11 June–30 September 1942) 2nd U-boat Flotilla (1 October 1942–23 February 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Herbert Schneider (11 June 1942–23 February 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 8 October–2 December 1942 2nd patrol: 31 December 1942–23 February 1943 |
| Victories: | Seven ships sunk, total 45,826 GRT; two ships damaged, total 12,479 GRT |
German submarine U-522 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 337 on 9 July 1941, launched on 1 April 1942 and commissioned on 11 June with Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schneider in command.
U-522 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 11 June 1942. She was reassigned to the 2nd flotilla for operations on 1 October 1942.
She carried out two patrols and sank seven ships. She damaged two more. She was sunk in February 1943 in mid-Atlantic west of Madeira by a British warship.[1]
Operational career
1st patrol
The boat departed Kiel on 8 October 1942, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
She opened her account when she damaged the Hartington about 450 nautical miles (830 km; 520 mi) east of Belle Isle (off the main island of Newfoundland) on 2 November 1942. The abandoned Hartington was sunk later that same day by U-521.
U-522 sank the Martima 500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) northeast of St. Johns on the same day as the attack on the Hartington and went on to sink the Parthenonn.
She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 2 December 1942.
2nd patrol and loss
U-522 's second foray took her to the mid-Atlantic once again. She sank the Norvik 500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) west of Teneriffe on 9 January 1943. Two days later, she damaged the British Dominion "northeast of the Canary Islands".
She was sunk west of Madeira on 23 February 1942 by depth charges dropped by the sloop (ex-US Coast Guard Cutter) HMS Totland.
Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.[1][3]
Wolfpacks
U-522 took part in two wolfpacks, namely,
- Kreuzotter (8–22 November 1942)
- Delphin (3 January - 14 February 1943)
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Displacement | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 November 1942 | Hartington |  United Kingdom |
5,496 | Damaged |
| 2 November 1942 | Martima | United Kingdom |
5,801 | Sunk |
| 2 November 1942 | Mount Pelion |  Greece |
5,655 | Sunk |
| 2 November 1942 | Parthenonn | Greece |
3,189 | Sunk |
| 18 November 1942 | Yaka |  United States |
5,432 | Sunk |
| 9 January 1943 | Minister Wedel |  Norway |
6,833 | Sunk |
| 9 January 1943 | Norvik |  Panama |
10,034 | Sunk |
| 11 January 1943 | British Dominion | United Kingdom |
6,983 | Damaged |
| 23 February 1943 | Athelprincess | United Kingdom |
8,882 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kemp 1997, p. 105.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-7.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-522". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-522". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-522". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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