U-530
| |
| Laid down |
8 Dec, 1941 |
Deutsche
Werft AG, Hamburg |
| Commissioned |
14 Oct, 1942 |
Kptlt. Kurt Lange |
| Commanders |
10.42 - 01.45
01.45 - 05.45 |
Kptlt. Kurt Lange
Oblt. Otto Wermuth |
| Career |
7 patrols |
14 Oct, 1942 - 28 Feb, 1943 4. Flottille
(training)
1 Mar, 1943 - 30 Sep, 1944 10. Flottille (front
boat)
1 Oct, 1944 - 8 May, 1945 33. Flottille (front
boat)
|
| Successes |
2 ships sunk for a total of 12.063
tons
1 ship damaged for a total of 10.195 tons |
| Fate |
Surrendered in the Rio de la Plata, Argentina on 10 July, 1945.
Transferred to USA and used for tests. Scuttled during tests on 28
Nov, 1947 north-east of Cape Cod, by a torpedo.
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Encounter with the Japanese I-52On 22 May, 1944 the boat
left Lorient, France for operations in the Trinidad area. Outbound
she was to rendezvous with the incoming Japanese submarine I-52
(huge boat, 356 feet and roughly 2600 tons) and supply the larger
boat with a Naxos radar detector, Naxos operator and a German
navigator to help navigate the end-leg of the journey.
The three German men, Pilot Lieutenant Schafer and Radiomen Petty
Officers Schulze and Behrendt, all perished with the boat along with
its Japanese crew.
The boats met on 23 June in the middle of the Atlantic, some 850
miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, and the exchange went well
except the Naxos radar detector fell into the Atlantic, being
retrieved by a Japanese who jumped in after it. U-530 immediately headed
for Trinidad, finally returning to base after 133 days at sea. The
Allies knew of the encounter and had the escort carrier USS
Bogue at the scene and its aircraft managed to sink the I-52
with Fido torpedoes with the help of sonobuoys.
The I-52 seems to have been found in 3,2 mile deep water in 1995,
I have seen photos of the wreck which are amazing. The interest in
this boat, especially at this depth, is simple: She contains 2 tons
of gold in 146 bars plus an assortment of other valuable industrial
metals. Recovery was planned but according to an article in National
Geographic (Oct 99) it was not possible to reach the gold and
further attempts have been called off.
On 29 December, 1943 U-530 was forced to
return to base after being rammed by the tanker Esso Buffalo.
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Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats,
which during their service lost men due to accidents and various
other causes, U-530 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until
the time of her loss. |
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