German submarine U-522

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

She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 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 reassigned 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 on 23 February 1943 in mid-Atlantic west of Madeira by a British warship.

Design
German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-522 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-522 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 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 nmi east of Belle Isle (off the main island of Newfoundland) on 2 November 1942. The abandoned Hartington was sunk later that same day by GS U-521.

U-522 sank the Martima 500 nmi 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.

Second patrol and loss
U-522's second foray took her to the mid-Atlantic once again. She sank the Norvik 500 nmi 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 1943 by depth charges dropped by the sloop (ex-US Coast Guard Cutter) HMS Totland (Y88).

Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.

Wolfpacks
U-522 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
 * Kreuzotter (8 – 22 November 1942)
 * Delphin (3 January – 14 February 1943)