German submarine U-573
German World War II submarine / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
German submarine U-573 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-573 |
Ordered | 24 October 1939 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss of Hamburg |
Yard number | 549 |
Laid down | 8 June 1940 |
Launched | 17 April 1941 |
Commissioned | 5 June 1941 |
Fate | Damaged by depth charges north-west of Algiers. Interned at Cartagena, Spain on 2 May 1942. Sold to Spain on 2 August 1942. Became the Spanish submarine G-7.[1] |
Spain | |
Name | G-7 |
Acquired | 1942 |
Commissioned | 2 August 1942 |
Renamed | S-01 (1961) |
Stricken | 2 May 1970 |
Fate | Broken up |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record (Kriegsmarine)[2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 42 508 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
1 merchant ship sunk (5,289 GRT) |
Her keel was laid down 8 June 1940 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg as yard number 549. She was launched on 17 April 1941 and commissioned on 5 June with Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Heinsohn (12 February 1910 – 6 May 1943) in command. Heinsohn commanded her for her entire career in the Kriegsmarine. In May 1941 he had arranged that the city of Landeck in Tyrol adopted the submarine within the then popular sponsorship programme (Patenschaftsprogramm), organising gifts and holidays for the crew, earning her the honorary name "U-573 Landeck".[3]
The boat began her service career as part of the 3rd U-boat Flotilla when she conducted training; on 1 September 1941 she commenced operations with that flotilla. She was transferred to the 29th Flotilla, also for operations, on 1 January 1942. She was sold to the Spanish Navy that same year and became the Spanish submarine G-7.