German submarine U-582

German submarine U-582 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out four patrols, sank six ships of and sank a warship of 46 tons (lost aboard a transport ship).

The boat was sunk by depth charges from a US aircraft, southwest of Iceland on 5 October 1942.

Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-582 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-582 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 25 September 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 558, launched on 12 June 1941 and commissioned on 7 August under the command of Korvettenkapitän Werner Schulte.

She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 7 August 1941 for training and the 1st U-boat Flotilla for operations until her loss, from 1 January until 5 October 1942.

First patrol
U-582's first patrol was preceded by a diversion to Trondheim in Norway to replace the stud bolts of her exhaust valves. She left the Nordic port on 3 January 1942 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap separating the Faroe and Shetland Islands. A lookout broke an arm in bad weather on the tenth, but she sank the Refast on the 26th off St. Johns.

She arrived at Brest in occupied France, on 7 February.

Second patrol
Her second foray took her to the US east coast, but the pickings were thin, she returned to Brest on 24 May 1942 without any successes.

Third patrol
She sank the Port Hunter on 12 July 1942 370 nmi west southwest of Madeira. The ship had been carrying ammunition and depth charges as well as HMNZS ML-1090, a 46-tons patrol craft being taken from Britain to New Zealand as deck cargo. Debris from the exploding ship was found on the U-boat's casing.

She also sank the Empire Attendant a few days later (15 July) southwest of the Canary Islands.

When she sank the Honolulan on 22 July 400 nmi south of the Cape Verde Islands, the vessel went down with her steam whistle still sounding, some two hours after being hit.

U-582 disposed of the Stella Lykes 500 nmi south of Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands on 27 July 1942 with seven demolition charges placed by a boarding party in the abandoned ship. The U-boat had fired two torpedoes and 161 rounds from her deck gun but she remained afloat. The master and chief engineer were taken prisoner; the ship sank by the stern.

Fourth patrol and loss
The submarine left Brest for the last time on 14 September 1942. On the 23rd, she sank the Vibran about 400 nmi north northeast of the Azores.

She was sunk on 5 October 1942 by depth charges dropped by a US PBY Catalina from VP-73 southwest of Iceland.

Forty-six men died with U-582; there were no survivors.

Previously recorded fate
U-582 was sunk on 5 October 1942 by a British Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF. It was later ascertained that this attack sank the sub was sunk by Catalina pby-5a with bu no 2459, owned by a Dutch group of aviation enthousiastsGS U-619.

Wolfpacks
U-582 took part in five wolfpacks, namely:
 * Zieten (15 – 22 January 1942)
 * Hai (3 – 21 July 1942)
 * Blitz (22 – 26 September 1942)
 * Tiger (26 – 30 September 1942)
 * Luchs (1 – 5 October 1942)