German submarine U-582

German submarine U-582 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out four patrols, sank six ships of 38,826 GRT and sank a warship of 46 tons (lost aboard a transport ship).

The boat was sunk by depth charges from a US aircraft, southwest of Iceland, in October 1942.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 25 September 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as 'werk' 558, launched on 12 June 1941 and commissioned on 7 August under the command of Korvettenkapitän Werner Schulte.

She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 7 August 1941 for training and the 1st U-boat Flotilla for operations until her loss, from 1 January to 5 October 1942.

1st patrol
U-582's first patrol was preceded by a diversion to Trondheim in Norway to replace the stud bolts of her exhaust valves. She left the Nordic port on 3 January 1942 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the 'gap' separating the Faroe and Shetland Islands. A lookout broke an arm in bad weather on the 10th, but she sank the Refast on the 26th off St. Johns.

She arrived at Brest in occupied France, on 7 February.

2nd patrol
Her second foray took her to the US east coast, but the pickings were thin, she returned to Brest on 24 May 1942 without any successes.

3rd patrol
She sank the Port Hunter on 12 July 1942 370 mi west southwest of Madeira. The ship had been carrying ammunition and depth charges as well as HMNZS ML-1090, a 46 ton patrol craft being taken from Britain to New Zealand as deck cargo. Debris from the exploding ship was found on the U-boat's casing.

She also sank the Empire Attendant a few days later (15 July) southwest of the Canary Islands.

When she sank the Honolulan on 22 July 400 mi south of the Cape Verde Islands, the vessel went down with her steam whistle still sounding, some two hours after being hit.

U-582 disposed of the Stella Lykes 500 mi south of Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands on 27 July 1942 with seven demolition charges placed by a boarding party in the abandoned ship. The U-boat had fired two torpedoes and 161 rounds from her deck gun but she remained afloat. The master and chief engineer were taken prisoner; the ship sank by the stern.

4th patrol and loss
The submarine left Brest for the last time on 14 September 1942. On the 23rd, she sank the Vibran about 400 mi north northeast of the Azores.

She was sunk on 5 October 1942 by depth charges dropped by a US PBY Catalina southwest of Iceland.

Forty-six men died with U-582; there were no survivors.

Previously recorded fate
U-582 was sunk on 5 October 1942 by a British Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF. It was later ascertained that this attack sank U-619.

Raiding History
* Being carried aboard the Port Hunter