German submarine U-522

German submarine U-522 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as 'werk' 337 on 9 July 1941, launched on 1 April 1942 and commissioned on 11 June with Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schneider in command.

U-522 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 11 June 1942. She was re-assigned to the 2nd flotilla for operations on 1 October 1942.

She carried out two patrols and sank seven ships. She damaged two more. She was sunk in February 1943 in mid-Atlantic west of Madeira by a British warship.

1st patrol
The boat departed Kiel on 8 October 1942, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.

She opened her account when she damaged the Hartington about 450 mi east of Belle Isle (off the main island of Newfoundland) on 2 November 1942. The abandoned Hartington was sunk later that same day by U-521.

U-522 sank the Martima 500 mi northeast of St. Johns on the same day as the attack on the Hartington and went on to sink the Parthenonn.

She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 2 December 1942.

2nd patrol and loss
U-508's second foray took her to the mid-Atlantic once again. She sank the Norvik 500 mi west of Teneriffe on 9 January 1943. Two days later, she damaged the British Dominion "northeast of the Canary Islands".

She was sunk west of Madeira on 23 February 1942 by depth charges dropped by the sloop (ex-US Coast Guard Cutter) HMS Totland.

Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.