The listed cause of the sinking of her is stated on several sites, the general agreement being having been on her way home sighted a convoy [KS-520} south of Cape Hatteras. Deciding to attack, the torpedoing result being two ships, the MV J. A. Mowinckel and the SS Chilore damaged, although the Chilore sank having then strayed into a mine field at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay. A third ship SS Bluefields was sunk. Soon after the attack U576 was her self attacked by two King Fisher aircraft from USN VS-9 where four depth charges straddled the U-boat. On surfacing U576 was sighted by the SS Unicoi. Being armed the naval gunners engaged, claiming hits on the conning tower followed by the Unicoi rammed after which the U-boat quickly sank. No survivors were seen afterwards.
Following seeing the N.O.A.A. program concerning wrecks off the American eastern seaboard, They came across U576 and here lies a mystery. The U-boat is shown lying keel down, with slight lean to her starboard side with her forward hull off the sea bed. The resulting examination of the wreck reveals that she is intact with no signs of any battle damage only the wooden decking and the thin [winter garden] metal work missing. Her position suggests that she came down in a controlled dive supported with lack of evidence of an impact and no damage to her dive planes , screws or rudder. All escape hatches being still firmly closed meaning although alive no crew appeared to have made an effort to try and escape.
The attack I note being recorded as being carried out around 20:23, although the sea and light conditions not being stated. On looking at her present condition, either the aircraft and ships crew were over zealous in their post reporting as to what damage they had inflicted or the wreck although only a few hundred meters from the wreck of the Bluefields. U576 may, having apparently avoided damage did dive to the sea bed and played dead and wait until the ships had moved on, but tragically she did not re-surface. John