German submarine U-527

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name: U-527
Ordered: 15 August 1940
Builder: Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number: 342
Laid down: 28 October 1941
Launched: 17 June 1942
Commissioned: 12 August 1942
Fate: Sunk by US aircraft south of the Azores, July 1943[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type:Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement:1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced
1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged
Length:76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a
58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height:9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draft:4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Propulsion:2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW)
2 × SSW GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW)
Speed:19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced
7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range:13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:230 m (750 ft)
Complement:4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament:
Service record
Part of: 4th U-boat Flotilla
(2 September–31 January 1943)
10th U-boat Flotilla
(1 February–23 July 1943)
Commanders: Kptlt. Herbert Uhlig
(2 September 1942–23 July 1943)
Operations: 1st patrol:
9 February–12 April 1943
2nd patrol:
10 May–23 July 1943
Victories: One ship sunk, 5,242 GRT;
one warship sunk, (lost aboard a transport), 291 tons;
one ship damaged, 5,848 GRT.

German submarine U-527 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 342 on 28 October 1941, launched on 17 June 1942 and commissioned on 2 September with Kapitänleutnant Herbert Uhlig in command.

U-527 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 2 September 1942. She was re-assigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 February 1943.

She carried out two patrols and sank one ship. She also sank one warship and damaged one commercial vessel. She was a member of four wolfpacks.

She was sunk by US aircraft south of the Azores, in July 1943[1]

Operational career

1st patrol

The boat departed Kiel on 9 February 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean. There, southeast of Cape Farewell (Greenland), she sank Fort Lamy on 8 March. HMS LCT-2480 was also lost.

She damaged Mathew Luckenbach on 19 March. U-523 came across the drifting wreck and finished her off.

U-527 was attacked by a Sunderland flying boat on the 20th - damage was slight.

She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 12 April 1943.

2nd patrol and loss

Having left Lorient on 10 May 1943, she was in the middle of "attacking a large ship under tow, when a corvette was summoned, which dropped 15 depth charges", damage sustained was minimal. Her sortie continued as far as the Gulf of Mexico.

On the return leg, she was sunk south of the Azores by Avenger aircraft from the carrier USS Bogue.

Forty men went down with the U-boat; there were 13 survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-527 took part in four wolfpacks, namely.

Summary of raiding career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[3]
8 March 1943 Fort Lamy  United Kingdom 5,242 Sunk
8 March 1943 HMS LCT-2480  Royal Navy 291 Sunk
19 March 1943 Mathew Luckenbach  United States 5,848 Damaged

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp, p. 134
  2. ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 105-7.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-527". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2014.

Bibliography

External links