German submarine U-524
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-524 |
| Ordered: | 7 April 1940 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 339 |
| Laid down: | 7 August 1941 |
| Launched: | 30 April 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 8 July 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, February 1943 south of Madeira by a US aircraft[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: | 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 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 (8 July–30 November 1942) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1942–22 March 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Walter Freiherr von Steinaecker (8 July 1942–22 February 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 14 November 1942–9 January 1943 2nd patrol: 3–22 March 1943 |
| Victories: | Two ships sunk, total 16,256 GRT |
German submarine U-524 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 339 on 7 August 1941, launched on 30 April 1942 and commissioned on 8 July with Kapitänleutnant Walter Freiherr von Steinaecker in command.
U-524 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 8 July 1942. She was re-assigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 December 1942.
She carried out two patrols and sank two ships. She was a member of three wolfpacks.
She was sunk in March 1943 south of Madeira by an American aircraft.[1]
Operational career
1st patrol
The boat departed Marviken (Kristiansand) in Norway on 14 November 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 sank the Empire Spenser on 8 December 1942 southeast of Cape Farewell (Greenland).
She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 9 January 1943.
2nd patrol and loss
Having left Lorient on 3 March 1943, she sank the French ship Wyoming on the 15th, north of the Azores.
She was sunk south of Madeira on the 22nd by depth charges dropped by an American B-24 Liberator called Tidewater Tillie.[1]
Fifty-two men died; there were no survivors.[3]
Wolfpacks
U-524 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.
- Panzer (23 November - 11 December 1942)
- Ungestüm (11–23 December 1942)
- Wohlgemut (12–22 March 1943)
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 December 1942 | Empire Spenser |  United Kingdom |
8,194 | Sunk |
| 15 March 1943 | Wyoming |  Free France |
8,062 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kemp 1999, p. 107.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-6.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-524". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-524". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 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 (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-524". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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