German submarine U-626

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German submarine U-626 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg, and commissioned in May 1942. She was assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla for basic training, and upon completion was permanently assigned to the 6th U-boat Flotilla. On 8 December 1942, U-626 under the direction of Leutnant zur See Hans-Botho Bade left Bergen, Norway for her maiden patrol. The USCGC Ingham (WHEC-35) along with USS Babbitt (DD-128) and USS Leary (DD-158) were in the middle of escort duties near Iceland, while U-626 was on its first patrol. On 15 December the USCGC Ingham scouted ahead of the other escorts in search of a larger convoy. The cutter made sonar contact with a "doubtful" object and dropped one 600 pound depth charge at U-626 sinking the ship and killing the crew of 47. The cutter continued on without incident, without even knowing that it sunk U-626. U-626 was the last U-boat of 1942 to be sunk by an American agency, and it was not known until after the war that Ingham had sunk U-626.