German submarine U-587


German submarine U-587 was a [German German Type VIIC submarine|Type VIIC submarine|Type VIIC] U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.
She was laid down on 31 October 1940 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 563, launched on 23 July 1941 and commissioned on 11 September 1941 under Korvettenkapitän Ulrich Borcherdt.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-587 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She 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 Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 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-587 was fitted with five torpedo tubes, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

The boat's short service career began on 11 September 1941 with training, followed by active service on 1 January 1942 as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla. It ended just 3 months later when she was sunk in the North Atlantic.
In two patrols she sank four merchant ships, for a total of, plus one auxiliary warship sunk.

Wolfpacks

U-587 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
  • Robbe

Fate

U-587 was sunk on 27 March 1942 in the North Atlantic in position ; depth charged by Royal Navy vessels,, and. There were no survivors.