German submarine U-574

German submarine U-574 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She carried out one war patrol (partaking in two wolfpacks) and sank one warship of 1,190 tons. The U-boat was sunk west of Portugal on 19 December 1941.

Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-574 had a displacement of 769 t when at the surface and 871 t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m, a pressure hull length of 50.50 m, a beam of 6.20 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.74 m. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2800 to 3200 PS for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 m.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 8500 nmi at 10 kn. U-574 was fitted with five 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 15 June 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 550, launched on 12 April 1941 and commissioned on 12 June under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Dietrich Gengelbach.

She served with the 1st U-boat Flotilla from 12 June 1941 for training and stayed with that organization for operations until her loss, from 1 November 1941 until 19 December.

Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 8 November 1941, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.

Just after sinking her only victim, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Stanley, she was sunk near Punta Delgada by depth charges and ramming by the British sloop HMS Stork (L81), the lead ship of the escort under the command of Frederic John Walker, on 19 December 1941. The boat was scuttled; the captain, Dietrich Gengelbach, refused to leave the submarine and went down with her.

Twenty-eight men died; there were 16 survivors.

Wolfpacks
U-574 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
 * Steuben (14 November – 1 December 1941)
 * Seeräuber (14 – 19 December 1941)