German submarine U-582 was a Type VIIC U-boat constructed for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Laid down on 25 September 1940 at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg (yard number 558), she was launched on 12 June 1941 and commissioned on 7 August 1941 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Werner Schulte. The vessel’s design followed the shorter Type VIIB submarines, featuring a displacement of 769 tonnes when surfaced and 871 tonnes submerged. She measured 67.10 meters (220 ft 2 in) in length overall, with a pressure hull length of 50.50 meters (165 ft 8 in). Her beam was 6.20 meters (20 ft 4 in), and she stood 9.60 meters (31 ft 6 in) tall, with a draught of 4.74 meters (15 ft 7 in). Powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing 2,800 to 3,200 horsepower for surface travel, and two Brown, Boveri & Cie electric motors delivering 750 horsepower for submerged operation, U-582 was capable of reaching speeds of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h) on the surface and 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h) submerged. Her operational depth was up to 230 meters (750 ft). She was equipped with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern), carrying fourteen torpedoes. Her armament included an 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun with 220 rounds and a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The submarine had a crew complement of forty-four to sixty men. U-582 conducted four patrols, sinking six ships totaling 38,826 GRT and damaging a warship of 46 tons. Her first patrol began in January 1942, during which she sank the Refast off St. Johns after a diversion to Trondheim for repairs. She later operated from Brest, France, and targeted Allied shipping along the Atlantic coast, sinking ships such as the Port Hunter, Empire Attendant, and Honolulan. Notably, U-582 also captured and destroyed the Stella Lykes, placing demolition charges aboard after firing torpedoes and deck gun fire. Her service ended on 5 October 1942 when she was sunk southwest of Iceland by depth charges from a US PBY Catalina aircraft. All 46 crew members perished in the attack. U-582 participated in five wolfpacks during her brief operational career, marking her as an active contributor to the Kriegsmarine’s Atlantic campaign before her loss.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.