German submarine U-576

German submarine U-576 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out five patrols, sank four ships of 15,450 GRT and damaged two more of 19,457 GRT.

The boat was sunk by depth charges from two US aircraft and gunfire from a merchant ship, near the American east coast, in July 1942.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 1 August 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as 'werk' 551, launched on 30 April 1941 and commissioned on 26 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans-Dieter Heinicke.

She served with the 7th U-boat Flotilla from 26 June 1941 for training and stayed with that organization for operations until her loss, from 1 September 1941 to 15 July 1942.

1st and 2nd patrols
U-432's first patrol was from Kirkenes in Norway, she headed for the Barents Sea and swept that area off the Kola Peninsula.

For her second foray, she made for the Atlantic Ocean via the 'gap' separating the Faroe and Shetland Islands. She arrived at St. Nazaire in occupied France, on 23 December 1941.

3rd patrol
Having left St. Nazaire on 20 January 1942, U-576 sank the Empire Spring, a catapult armed merchantman or CAM ship, on 14 February southeast of Sable Island (which itself lies off Nova Scotia).

4th patrol
As one of the boats involved in Operation Drumbeat, (U-boat operations off the eastern seaboard of the United States), U-576 sank the Pipestone County on 21 April 1942 475 mi east of Cape Henry, Virginia. The German submariners gave the occupants of one lifeboat some provisions.

She also sank the Taborfjell on the 30th 95 mi east of Cape Cod. This ship went down in one minute.

5th patrol and loss
The boat set out from St. Nazaire for the last time on 16 June 1942. She made for the US Atlantic seaboard once more. Off North Carolina on 15 July, she sank the Bluefields and damaged the Chilore and the J.A. Mowinckel. She was sunk by depth charges from two American Kingfisher aircraft and gunfire from the Unicoi on the same day.

Forty-five men died with U-576; there were no survivors.