List of all U-boats
U-576
Type | VIIC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 8 Jan 1940 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 1 Aug 1940 | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 552) | ||||||||
| Launched | 30 Apr 1941 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 26 Jun 1941 | Kptlt. Hans-Dieter Heinicke | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 5 patrols |
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| Successes | 4 ships sunk, total tonnage 15,450 GRT 2 ships damaged, total tonnage 19,457 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 15 July, 1942 in the north Atlantic near Cape Hatteras, USA, in position 34.51N, 75.22W, by depth charges from 2 US Kingfisher aircraft (VC-9) and gunfire from the US motor vessel Unicoi. 45 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||
General notes on this boat
The loss of U-576
On 15 July 1942 convoy KS-520, proceeding from Norfolk to Key West, Florida encountered U-576 off Cape Hatteras. U-576 sank one ship and damaged two others before she was sunk by shells from the deck gun of USS Unicoi and bombs from 2 Kingfisher aircraft (pilots: Ens. Frank C. Lewis, Charles D. Webb) of VS-9D4, NAS Cherry Point, NC, part of the Eastern Sea Frontier Inshore Patrol Squadron. Many reference sources claim Unicoi rammed U-576, but not according to witnesses on the Unicoi.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-576 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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