German submarine U-519

German submarine U-519 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 23 June 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 334, launched on 12 February 1942 and commissioned on 7 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günter Eppen.

After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, U-519 was transferred to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 November 1942.

Design
German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-519 had a displacement of 1120 t when at the surface and 1232 t while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m, a pressure hull length of 58.75 m, a beam of 6.76 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.70 m. The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4400 PS for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1000 shp for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 m.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 13450 nmi at 10 kn. U-519 was fitted with six 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.

First patrol
The U-boat left Kiel on 17 October 1942, moved through the gap between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands into the Atlantic Ocean and patrolled the vicinity of the Azores, joining the wolfpack Westwall between 8 November and 16 December. However she had no successes. She arrived at Lorient in occupied France on 29 December after 74 days at sea.

Second patrol
The boat departed Lorient for the last time on 30 January 1943. She has been posted missing since 31 January 1943. She was previously thought to have been sunk by "Tidewater Tillie," a B-24 Liberator of the 2d Antisubmarine Squadron, about six hundred miles west of Lorient. This attack was actually against GS U-752.