German submarine U-524

U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-524
Ordered14 February 1940
BuilderDeutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number339
Laid down7 August 1941
Launched30 April 1942
Commissioned8 July 1942
FateSunk on 22 March 1943[1]
General characteristics
Class & typeType IXC submarine
Displacement
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
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 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament
Service record
Part of
Commanders
  • Kptlt. Walter Freiherr von Steinaecker
  • 8 July 1942 – 22 March 1943
Operations
  • 2 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 14 November 1942 – 9 January 1943
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 3 – 22 March 1943
Victories2 merchant ships sunk
(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 reassigned 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 on 22 March 1943 in south of Madeira by an American aircraft.[1]

Design and construction

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-524 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[2] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-524 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[2]

U-524 was one of twelve Type IXC submarines ordered from Deutsche Werft on 14 February 1940.[3] The submarine was laid down at Deutsche Werft's Hamburg shipyard on 7 August 1941,[4] as yard number 339.[3] She was launched on 30 April 1942 and commissioned on 8 July 1942.[4]

Service history

On commissioning, U-524 joined the 4th U-boat Flotilla based at Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland) for crew training. On completion of training, she joined the operational 10th U-boat Flotilla.[4]

First patrol

On 10 November 1942, U-542 left Kiel, arriving at Marviken (Kristiansand) in Norway on 12 November 1942, and left there on her first operational patrol on 14 November 1942.[4] She was carrying VHF direction finding gear and a team of specialist operators to help locate convoys by their radio transmissions.[4] The submarine moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.[5]

On 29 November 1942, U-524 joined patrol group Panzer. On 4 December, the submarine picked up radio transmissions from a convoy and as a result, Panzer group was ordered to intercept.[4] U-524 made contact with eastbound convoy HX 217 south of Greenland on 7 December, and homed in more U-boats of group Panzer, while a second patrol group, Draufgänger, was ordered to join the attack on the convoy. U-524 attacked the convoy on the night of 7/8 December southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, firing nine torpedoes in multiple attacks, sinking the British oil tanker Empire Spenser and near missing the destroyer HMS Fame.[6] Attacks on the convoy continued until 10 December, but despite 22 U-boats being directed against the convoy, a strong defence by the convoy's escort and long-range aircraft from Iceland meant that only one more ship was sunk, Charles L. D., by U-553, while two U-boats were lost, one (U-254) by collision with U-221, and one (U-611 by air attack.[7]

On 13 December 1942, U-524 was ordered to join a new patrol group, Ungestüm, operating south of Iceland. The group was sent against east-bound Convoy HX 218 and westbound Convoy ONS 152, but U-524 had no success, and after operations against ONS 152 were abandoned on 22 December, she headed for her new base in France, arriving at Lorient, on 9 January 1943.[4]

Second patrol and loss

U-524 left Lorient on her second patrol on 3 March 1943, proceeding to a patrol area south of the Azores.[4] On 13 March, she was ordered to join the new patrol group Unverzagt to be deployed against Convoy UGS 6, en-route from New York to Gibraltar.[4][8] On 15 March, U-524 attacked the convoy, torpedoing the French freighter Wyoming NNW of the Azores, before being driven off by the destroyer Hobby. U-524 attacked the convoy again on 16 March, but her torpedoes missed their targets. The submarine continued to chase after the convoy until 19 March when U-boat control ordered that operations against the convoy be abandoned, but managed no more attacks against it.[4][9]

On 22 March 1943, U-524 was spotted on the surface south of Madeira by a USAAF B-24 Liberator called Tidewater Tillie.[1][10][a] The B-24 attacked with four depth charges, sinking U-524.[1][10] While the B-24s crew spotted some of U-524s crew on a raft, none survived to be rescued.[10] Fifty-two men died; there were no survivors.[12]

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 history

Date Ship Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT) 		Fate[13]
8 December 1942 Empire Spenser United Kingdom 8,194 Sunk
15 March 1943 Wyoming Free France 8,062 Sunk

Notes

  1. ^ Kemp[1] and Wynn[4] state that the B-24 was from the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron, while Blair[10] and Niestlé[11] say it was from the 2d Antisubmarine Squadron.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Kemp 1999, p. 107.
  2. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
  3. ^ a b Niestlé 2014, p. 22.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wynn 1998, p. 13.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of German U-boat U-524 from 14 Nov 1942 to 9 Jan 1943". uboat.net. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  6. ^ Blair 2000, p. 124.
  7. ^ Blair 2000, pp. 124–128.
  8. ^ Blair 2000, pp. 201–202.
  9. ^ Blair 2000, p. 202.
  10. ^ a b c d Blair 2000, p. 203.
  11. ^ Niestlé 2014.
  12. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-524". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  13. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-524". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2014.

Bibliography

  • Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. New York: Modern Library. ISBN 0-679-64033-9.
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
  • Niestlé, Axel (2014). German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. Barnsley, UK: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-210-3.
  • Wynn, Kenneth (1998). U-Boat Operations of the Second World War: Volume 2: Career Histories, U511–UIT25. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-069-8.

30°15′N 18°13′W / 30.250°N 18.217°W / 30.250; -18.217

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