German submarine U-526

German submarine U-526 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II.
Her keel was laid down on 14 October 1941 by the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 341. She was launched on 3 June 1942 and commissioned on 12 August with Kapitänleutnant Hans Möglich in command.
The U-boat's service began with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla on 12 August 1942. She then moved to the 10th flotilla on 1 February 1943 for operations.
She was a member of four wolfpacks.
She carried out one patrol and sank no ships.
She was sunk by mines in the Bay of Biscay on 14 April 1943.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-526 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-526 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.

The submarine's only patrol was preceded by short passages from Kiel in Germany to Kristiansand then Bergen in Norway over January 1943. She left Bergen and sailed across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Following extensive sweeps in the middle of the North Atlantic, she was crossing the Bay of Biscay and had almost reached Lorient when she encountered mines and was sunk on 14 April 1943. Forty-two men died, but there were twelve survivors.