German submarine U-530

U-530 after her surrender at Mar del Plata Naval Base
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-530
Ordered15 August 1940
BuilderDeutsche Werft AG, Hamburg-Finkenwerder
Yard number345
Laid down8 December 1941
Launched28 July 1942
Commissioned14 October 1942
Fate
  • Surrendered in Mar del Plata, Argentina on 10 July 1945
  • Sunk during torpedo tests on 28 November 1947 by submarine USS Toro[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXC/40 submarine
Displacement
  • 1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a
  • 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced
  • 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range
  • 13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement4 officers, 44 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
  • FuMO-61 Hohentwiel U
  • FuMB-26 Tunis
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 49 518
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Kurt Lange
  • 14 October 1942 – January 1945
  • Oblt.z.S.. Otto Wermuth
  • January – 10 July 1945
Operations:
  • 7 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 20 February – 22 April 1943
  • 2nd patrol:
  • a. 29 May – 3 July 1943
  • b. 21 September 1943
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 27 – 29 September 1943
  • 4th patrol:
  • 3 – 5 October 1943
  • 5th patrol:
  • 17 October 1943 – 22 February 1944
  • 6th patrol:
  • a. 22 May – 4 October 1944
  • b. 19 – 23 February 1945
  • 7th patrol:
  • 3 March – 10 July 1945
Victories:
  • 2 merchant ships sunk
    (12,063 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (10,195 GRT)

German submarine U-530 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg on 8 December 1941 as yard number 345, launched on 28 July 1942 and commissioned on 14 October 1942 with Kapitänleutnant Kurt Lange in command, who led her in six patrols. Lange was replaced in January 1945 by Oberleutnant zur See Otto Wermuth, who led her escape to Argentina after Germany's surrender. The submarine's voyage to Argentina led to legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that it and U-977 had transported escaping Nazi leaders (such as Adolf Hitler) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, and even that it sank the Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic.[2][3] Later investigations led by the U.S. and Brazilian Navies proved that the cruiser was sunk in an accident during exercises with depth charges.

  1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-530". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  2. ^ Salinas & De Nápoli , 2002.
  3. ^ Paterson, 2009. Pages 27 to 33.