the boat set out from st. nazaire for the last time on 16 june 1942, heading for the u.s. atlantic seaboard to participate in operation drumbeat. during the first half of july, she sighted an allied convoy but was unable to attack it. the "u-576" was plagued with engine trouble, and on 13 or 14 july, an aircraft attack damaged one of her ballast tanks, hampering her ability to dive and surface, and heinicke signaled that the damage could not be repaired at sea. on the 29th day of the patrol, heinicke signaled that he was heading east on the surface in moderate seas and had made 16 nautical miles that day. it was the "u-576"′s last signal.