View source for German submarine U-573

{{Short description|German World War II submarine}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=''U-573'' as ''S-01'' in Cartagena
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''U-573''
|Ship ordered=24 October 1939
|Ship builder=[[Blohm & Voss]] of [[Hamburg]]
|Ship yard number=549
|Ship laid down=8 June 1940
|Ship launched=17 April 1941
|Ship commissioned=5 June 1941
|Ship 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''.{{sfn|Kemp|1997|p=81}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
 |Hide header=title
 |Ship country=[[Francoist Spain|Spain]]
 |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Spain|1938}}
 |Ship name=''G-7'' 
 |Ship renamed=''S-01'' (1961)
 |Ship acquired=1942
 |Ship commissioned=2 August 1942
 |Ship decommissioned=
 |Ship struck=2 May 1970
 |Ship homeport=
 |Ship motto=
 |Ship nickname=
 |Ship fate=Broken up
 |Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC|Type VIIC]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=
*{{convert|769|t|LT|0|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|871|t|LT|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length=
*{{convert|67.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[o/a]]
*{{convert|50.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[pressure hull]]
|Ship beam=
*{{convert|6.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}} o/a
*{{convert|4.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pressure hull
|Ship height={{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|4.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*{{convert|2800|–|3200|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (diesels)
*{{convert|750|PS|kW shp|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=
*2 shafts
*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[Motor-generator|electric motors]]
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|17.7|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|7.6|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
*{{convert|8500|nmi|abbr=on|lk=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|80|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth=
*{{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Submarine depth ratings|Crush depth]]: {{convert|250|–|295|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
*5 × {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow, one stern)
*14 × [[torpedo]]es ''or'' 26 TMA [[Naval mine|mine]]s
*1 × [[8.8&nbsp;cm SK C/35 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} deck gun]] (220 rounds)
*1 x [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] AA gun
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label=Service record (''Kriegsmarine'')<ref name="uboatnet">{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/u572.html
 |title=The Type VIIC boat U-572
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=15 October 2014
}}</ref>
|partof=
*[[3rd U-boat Flotilla]]
*5 June – 31 December 1941
*[[29th U-boat Flotilla]]
*1 January – 2 May 1942
|codes=M 42 508
|commanders=
*''[[Kptlt.]]'' Heinrich Heinsohn
*5 June 1941 – 2 May 1942
|operations=*4 patrols:
*1st patrol:
*27 September – 15 November 1941
*2nd patrol:
*a. 7 – 9 December 1941 
*b. 11 – 30 December 1941
*3rd patrol:
*2 February – 6 March 1942
*4th patrol:
*20 April – 2 May 1942
|victories=
*1 merchant ship sunk <br/>({{GRT|5,289}})
}}
|}

'''German submarine ''U-573''''' was a [[German Type VIIC submarine|Type VIIC]] [[U-boat]] built for [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' for service during World War II.

Her keel was [[Keel laying|laid down]] 8 June 1940 at the [[Blohm & Voss]] yard in [[Hamburg]] as yard number 549. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 17 April 1941 and [[Ship commissioning|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|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''".<ref>Three representatives of Landeck, the [[burgomaster]] Hermann Bursian, Josef Pesjak, and a Herr Tscholl, participated in the commissioning of the boat and handed over a coat-of-arms of the city to be fixed to the conning tower on every arrival in harbour. Cf. Franz Fröwis, "U-573, U-256 und U-92 trugen das Wappen Landecks", in: ''Tiroler Heimat. Jahrbuch für Geschichte und Volkskunde'', vol. 67 (2003), pp. 289–303, here pp. 291 and 293.</ref>

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 U-boat Flotilla|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'''''.

==Design==
[[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC|German Type VIIC submarines]] were preceded by the shorter [[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIB|Type VIIB submarines]]. ''U-573'' had a displacement of {{convert|769|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|871|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43–46}} She had a total length of {{convert|67.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[pressure hull]] length of {{convert|50.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|6.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|4.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two [[Germaniawerft]] F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder [[supercharged]] [[diesel engine]]s producing a total of {{convert|2800 to 3200|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two [[Brown, Boveri & Cie]] GG UB 720/8 [[Motor–generator|double-acting electric motors]] producing a total of {{convert|750|PS|kW shp}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.23|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[propeller]]s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43–46}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|17.7|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.6|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43–46}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|80|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|8500|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. ''U-573'' was fitted with five {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen [[torpedo]]es, one [[8.8&nbsp;cm SK C/35 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} SK C/35 naval gun]], 220 rounds, and a [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of between forty-four and sixty.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43–46}}

==German service==
''U-573'' conducted four war patrols, sinking just one ship.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_1455.html 
|title=Patrol info for U-573 (Second patrol)
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date=31 March 2010
}}</ref>

===First, second and third patrols===
Her operational career began with her departure from [[Kiel]] on 15 September 1941. She entered the Atlantic via the [[North Sea]] and the [[GIUK gap|gap]] between [[Iceland]] and the [[Faroe Islands]]. She almost reached the [[Labrador]] coast before heading for [[St. Nazaire]] in occupied France, docking on 15 November.

''U-573''{{'}}s second patrol involved the boat slipping past the heavily defended [[Strait of Gibraltar]] into the Mediterranean,<ref>Paterson, Lawrence – ''U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941–1944'', 2007, Chatham Publishing, {{ISBN|9781861762900}}, p. 51.</ref> where she sank the Norwegian ''Hellen'' (5,289 GRT) with two torpedoes on 21 December 1941. She arrived at [[Pula|Pola]] in Croatia on 30 December.

Her third sortie was relatively uneventful, starting and finishing in Pola between 2 February and 6 March 1942.

===Fourth patrol and internment===
On 29 April 1942, ''U-573'' was attacked with [[depth charge]]s by [[Lockheed Hudson]]s of [[No. 233 Squadron RAF]], northwest of [[Algiers]]. Seriously damaged, she limped north to Spain, arriving in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]] on 2 May. International agreements allowed ships in neutral ports 24 hours to make emergency repairs before they were to be interned. The Spanish authorities granted ''U-573'' a three-month period for repairs, which prompted several strong protests from the British Embassy in [[Madrid]]. On 19 May Heinsohn flew from Madrid to Stuttgart, then travelled on to Berlin, in order to discuss the situation with the ''Kriegsmarine''. He returned by train via [[Hendaye]] (in southwest France) on 28 May. Realizing that even three months would not be enough to repair the boat, the ''Kriegsmarine'' sold the vessel to Spain for {{Reichsmark|1.5&nbsp;million|link=yes}}. On 2 August 1942, at 10&nbsp;am, (one day before the three-month period was due to expire), the Spanish navy commissioned the boat as the ''S01''.<ref>Paterson, pp. 66–67</ref>

''U-573''{{'}}s crew suffered no casualties during her career in the ''Kriegsmarine''. The men had been interned in Cartagena and were gradually released in groups of two or three. The last five members of the crew left with ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' Heinsohn on 13 February 1943. He returned to the ''Kriegsmarinearsenal'' in [[Gotenhafen]] (Gdynia, Poland), then [[Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia|German-annexed Poland]], In March he was ordered to [[Brest, France|Brest]], then in [[Military Administration in Belgium and North France|German-occupied France]] to take command of {{GS|U-438||2}}, and died with all his crew two months later.

==Spanish service==
Work started on the ''U-573'', now the ''G-7'', in August 1943 following the sale to Spain but took four years to complete. The damage caused by the British attack was found to be more extensive than was first thought; also German technical assistance and parts were difficult to obtain in the last years of World War II and after. In addition, Spain's economy was weak following the [[Spanish Civil War]]. Repairs were completed in early 1947 and on 5 November 1947 ''G-7'' was re-commissioned. The bow's [[Net cutter (submarine)|net cutter]] and the 20mm anti aircraft cannon were removed.

Despite the Type VII being out-dated by the end of World War II, ''G-7'' was the most modern of Spain's submarine fleet; her other vessels (two ex-Italian, and four home-built boats) dating from the early 1930s. ''G-7'' lacked radar and did not possess a [[Submarine snorkel|snorkel]]. In 1951 development was started on a snorkel design by [[Empresa Nacional Bazán]], the Spanish shipbuilding company, but these came to nothing when the Spanish Navy bought the former US Navy submarine {{USS|Kraken|SS-370|6}}.

''G-7''{{'}}s repairs were completed in 1947. In 1958 Arca-Filmproduktion GmbH rented ''G-7'' to take part in the semi-fictitious movie ''[[U 47 – Kapitänleutnant Prien]]'', partially based on his patrol to [[Scapa Flow]], where he sank {{HMS|Royal Oak|08|6}}.<ref>On the film cf. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052329/ U47 – Kapitänleutnant Prien] on [[Internet Movie Database]].</ref>

In 1961 the Spanish Navy's submarine force was re-numbered, and ''G-7'' became ''S-01''.

One other U-boat was interned in Spain during World War II: {{GS|U-760||2}}.

On 2 May 1970 she was de-commissioned after 23 years service. She was auctioned for 3,334,751 Pts (about US$26,500), after which, despite efforts to save and preserve her as a museum, the submarine was [[Ship breaking|broken up]] for scrap.

==Summary of raiding history==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="130px"|Date
! width="120px"|Ship Name
! width="120px"|Nationality
! width="25px" |Tonnage ([[Gross register tonnage|GRT]])
! width="50px" |Fate<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u573.html
 |title=Ships hit by U573
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=3 February 2014
}}</ref>
|-
|align="right"|21 December 1941
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1941#21 December|''Hellen'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|5,289
|align="left" |Sunk
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of submarines of the Spanish Navy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
*{{cite book
|last1=Busch
|first1=Rainer
|last2=Röll
|first2=Hans-Joachim
|title=Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945
|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945
|series=Der U-Boot-Krieg
|volume=IV
|publisher=Mittler
|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn
|year=1999
|isbn=3-8132-0514-2
|language=de
}}
*{{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|series=German Warships 1815–1945
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}

*{{cite book
|last=Kemp
|first=Paul
|title=U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars
|year=1997
|publisher=Arms & Armour
|isbn=1-85409-515-3
}}

==External links==
*{{Cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/u573.html
 |title=The Type VIIC boat U-573
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=29 December 2014
}}
* [http://www.mundohistoria.org/blog/articulos_web/historia-del-submarino-u-573 G-7 (U-573) at mundohistoria.org] (in Spanish) 
*[http://perso.wanadoo.es/pfcurto/serie_g.html#g7 G-7 at perso.wanadoo.es] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319105403/http://perso.wanadoo.es/pfcurto/serie_g.html#g7 |date=19 March 2017 }} (in Spanish)

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{{German Type VII submarines}}
{{May 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0573}}
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:German Type VIIC submarines]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in Spain]]
[[Category:Ships built in Hamburg]]
[[Category:Submarines of the Spanish Navy]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1941]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1942]]
[[Category:Spain in World War II]]