German submarine U-524


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 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.

Design and construction

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-524 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to.
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at. U-524 was fitted with six torpedo tubes, 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.
U-524 was one of twelve Type IXC submarines ordered from Deutsche Werft on 14 February 1940. The submarine was laid down at Deutsche Werft's Hamburg shipyard on 7 August 1941, as yard number 339. She was launched on 30 April 1942 and commissioned on 8 July 1942.

Service history

On commissioning, U-524 joined the 4th U-boat Flotilla based at Stettin, Prussia for crew training. On completion of training, she joined the operational 10th U-boat Flotilla.

First patrol

On 10 November 1942, U-542 left Kiel, arriving at Marviken in Norway on 12 November 1942, and left there on her first operational patrol on 14 November 1942. She was carrying VHF direction finding gear and a team of specialist operators to help locate convoys by their radio transmissions. The submarine moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
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. 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. 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,, by, while two U-boats were lost, one by collision with, and one ( by air attack.
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.

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. 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. On 15 March, U-524 attacked the convoy, torpedoing the French freighter NNW of the Azores, before being driven off by the destroyer. 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.
On 22 March 1943, U-524 was spotted on the surface south of Madeira by a USAAF B-24 Liberator called Tidewater Tillie. The B-24 attacked with four depth charges, sinking U-524. While the B-24s crew spotted some of U-524s crew on a raft, none survived to be rescued. Fifty-two men died; there were no survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-524 took part in three wolfpacks, namely: