German submarine U-588

German submarine U-588 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out four patrols, was a member of two wolfpacks, sank seven ships of 31,492 GRT and damaged another vessl of 7,460 GRT.

The boat was sunk by depth charges dropped by Canadian warships, east northeast of St.Johns, in July 1942.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 31 October 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as 'werk' 564, launched on 23 July 1941 and commissioned on 18 September under the command of Kapitänleutnant Victor Vogel.

She served with the 6th U-boat Flotilla from 18 September 1941 for training and stayed with that organization for operations until her loss, from 1 January to 31 July 1942.

1st patrol
U-588's first patrol began when she left Kiel on 8 January 1942 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the 'gap' separating the Faroe and Shetland Islands. She sank the Caledonian Monarch on the 22nd, 30 mi north northwest of Lewis. There was some confusion over the ships' fate; she was reported missing on the 7th, considered lost on the 14th, but it was not known if her loss was due to the weather or enemy action.

The U-boat arrived at Lorient in occupied France, on 30 January.

2nd patrol
The boat's second foray took her toward the Canadian east coast, where she sank the Caperby on 1 March 1942 about 520 mi southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

She sank the Gulftrade on 10 March, just 3 mi off the Barnegat Light. The ship was loaded with 80,000 barrels of 'Bunker C' oil. She broke in two on the impact of the torpedo, but the resulting fire was quickly extinguished by the high seas.

3rd patrol
Staying inshore, U-588 damaged the Greylock on 9 May 1942 about 10 mi from the Sambro Lightship, (itself off Halifax Harbour).

The next day, she sank the Kitty's Brook 35 mi southeast of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia.

A steady stream of successes followed; i.e. theSkottland on 17 May, the Plow City on the 22nd and the Margot on the 23rd. As far as the Plow City was concerned, one survivor was taken aboard the U-boat for questioning but returned with cigarettes and rum. The German submariners also helped to right one of the ship's lifeboats.

4th patrol and loss
By now based at St Nazaire, which the submarine left on 19 July 1942, U-588 was sunk on the 31st by depth charges dropped by Canadian warships, the corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin and the destroyer HMCS Skeena east northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland.

Forty-nine men died with U-588; there were no survivors.