German submarine U-576 facts for kids
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The German submarine U-576 was a special type of U-boat (a German submarine) used by Nazi Germany's navy, called the Kriegsmarine, during World War II. This submarine went on five missions, sinking four ships and damaging two others. In July 1942, U-576 was sunk by American planes and a merchant ship near the East Coast of the United States. Its sunken remains were found in August 2014.
Contents
- How Big Was U-576?
- What Powered the Submarine?
- How Fast and Deep Could It Go?
- What Weapons Did It Carry?
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany |
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| Name | U-576 |
| Ordered | 8 January 1940 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 552 |
| Laid down | 1 August 1940 |
| Launched | 30 April 1941 |
| Commissioned | 26 June 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk by US aircraft and a merchant ship, near the East Coast of the United States, 15 July 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement |
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| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth |
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| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament | |
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
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| Nearest city | Hatteras, North Carolina |
| MPS | World War II Shipwrecks along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000864 |
| Added to NRHP | 8 December 2015 |
- First and Second Missions
- Third Mission: Sinking a Merchant Ship
- Fourth Mission: Operation Drumbeat
- Fifth Mission and Loss
Understanding the U-576 Submarine Design
The U-576 was a Type VIIC submarine. These were a common type of German submarine during World War II. They were designed to be strong and effective for long missions.
How Big Was U-576?
When U-576 was on the surface, it weighed about 769 tons. When it was underwater, it weighed 871 tons. It was about 67 meters (220 feet) long, which is roughly the length of two basketball courts. The main part of the submarine, called the pressure hull, was 50.5 meters (166 feet) long. It was 6.2 meters (20 feet) wide and 9.6 meters (31 feet) tall. The part of the submarine under the water, its draught, was 4.74 meters (15.6 feet).
What Powered the Submarine?
U-576 used two types of engines. For moving on the surface, it had two powerful diesel engines. These engines gave it enough power to travel long distances. When it was underwater, it used two electric motors. These motors were quieter, which helped the submarine stay hidden. The submarine had two propellers to push it through the water.
How Fast and Deep Could It Go?
On the surface, U-576 could travel at a top speed of 17.7 knots (about 33 kilometers per hour or 20 miles per hour). Underwater, it was slower, reaching about 7.6 knots (14 kilometers per hour or 8.7 miles per hour). It could travel about 8,500 nautical miles (15,742 kilometers) on the surface without needing to refuel. Underwater, it could go about 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) before needing to surface. The submarine could dive to a depth of 230 meters (755 feet). Its maximum safe depth, called crush depth, was between 250 and 295 meters (820 to 968 feet).
What Weapons Did It Carry?
The U-576 was armed with five torpedo tubes. Four were at the front (bow) and one was at the back (stern). It carried 14 torpedoes, or it could carry 26 mines instead. For fighting on the surface, it had an 8.8 cm deck gun with 220 rounds of ammunition. It also had a 2 cm anti-aircraft gun to defend against planes. The submarine usually had a crew of 44 to 60 sailors.
U-576 Service History
The U-576 was built in Hamburg, Germany, at a place called Blohm & Voss. Its construction started on August 1, 1940. It was launched into the water on April 30, 1941, and officially joined the navy on June 26, 1941. Its first commander was Kapitänleutnant Hans-Dieter Heinicke.
U-576 was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla, a group of submarines. It stayed with this group for all its missions until it was lost on July 15, 1942.
First and Second Missions
The first mission of U-576 started from Kirkenes in Norway. It went to the Barents Sea to look for enemy ships. However, nothing important happened during this patrol.
For its second mission, the submarine sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. It went through the area between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. It arrived safely at St. Nazaire in France on December 23, 1941, without any problems.
Third Mission: Sinking a Merchant Ship
On January 20, 1942, U-576 left St. Nazaire for its third mission. On February 14, it found and sank a ship called Empire Spring southeast of Sable Island, near Nova Scotia. The Empire Spring was a special merchant ship that carried a catapult to launch a fighter plane for defense. Sadly, all 55 crew members of the Empire Spring were lost when the ship sank.
Fourth Mission: Operation Drumbeat
U-576 was part of a secret operation called Operation Drumbeat. This was when German U-boats operated close to the eastern coast of North America. On April 21, 1942, U-576 sank the ship Pipestone County far east of Cape Henry, Virginia. All 46 crew members of the Pipestone County survived. The submarine even surfaced, and its commander apologized to the crew for sinking their ship. The U-boat crew also gave supplies to the men in their lifeboats.
Later, on April 30, 1942, U-576 sank another ship, the Norwegian vessel Taborfjell, east of Cape Cod. This ship sank very quickly, in just one minute, and 17 out of its 20 crew members were lost.
Fifth Mission and Loss
U-576 left St. Nazaire for its last mission on June 16, 1942. It was heading back to the U.S. Atlantic coast for Operation Drumbeat. In early July, it saw an Allied convoy (a group of ships traveling together for safety) but couldn't attack it. The submarine also had engine problems. Around July 13 or 14, an airplane attacked it, damaging one of its ballast tanks. This made it hard for the submarine to dive and surface properly. The commander, Heinicke, reported that the damage couldn't be fixed at sea. On July 15, 1942, U-576 sent its last message, saying it was heading east on the surface.
Later that day, off the coast of North Carolina, U-576 found Convoy KS-520. This convoy had 19 merchant ships and five escort ships. U-576 fired four torpedoes. One torpedo sank the Nicaraguan cargo ship Bluefields. Another torpedo hit and damaged the American cargo ship Chilore, which later sank after hitting a mine. The other two torpedoes hit and damaged the Panamanian tanker J. A. Mowinckel.
After firing its torpedoes, U-576 accidentally surfaced right in the middle of the convoy. A ship in the convoy, the Unicoi, immediately started firing at it. Two United States Navy planes, Vought OS2U Kingfisher aircraft, also attacked with depth charges. One depth charge was seen landing on the submarine's deck before exploding. U-576 sank, leaving a large pool of oil on the water. All 45 crew members on U-576 were lost; there were no survivors.
Discovery of the Wreck
In 2009, several groups, including the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), started looking for the wreck of U-576. They tried to find it off Cape Hatteras, but they were not successful at first. This search was even shown in a TV documentary.
Then, in August 2014, during another expedition by NOAA, the submarine was finally found using sonar (sound waves to detect objects underwater). Its wreck lies about 30 miles off Cape Hatteras, very close to the wreck of the Bluefields ship it sank. On December 8, 2015, both the U-576 and Bluefields wrecks were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.
On August 24, 2016, scientists used small two-person submersibles to make the first visual observations of U-576 since it sank in 1942. They found the wreck lying on its side at a depth of 220 meters (721 feet). Its hatches were closed, and its dive planes were angled upward, as if it was trying to surface. The outer hull near the bow was damaged. The wooden deck had rotted away, but the main hull, the conning tower (the part that sticks up), and the deck gun were mostly intact. The deck gun even had the nickname "Peterle" (German for "Little Peter") carved into it. The scientists also visited the wreck of the Bluefields. NOAA plans to create exact 3D models of both wrecks using special laser scans.
Under maritime law, the wreck of U-576 belongs to the German government. The United States Government has agreed to take care of it. It is believed that all 45 crew members are still inside the submarine's hull.
Summary of Ships Attacked
Here is a list of the ships U-576 attacked during its missions:
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February 1942 | Empire Spring |  United Kingdom |
6,946 | Sunk |
| 21 April 1942 | Pipestone County |  United States |
5,102 | Sunk |
| 30 April 1942 | Taborfjell |  Norway |
1,339 | Sunk |
| 15 July 1942 | Bluefields |  Nicaragua |
2,063 | Sunk |
| 15 July 1942 | Chilore | United States |
8,130 | Damaged |
| 15 July 1942 | J.A. Mowinckel |  Panama |
11,147 | Damaged |
