German submarine U-181 - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from U-181) German World War II submarine

History

Germany
Name	U-181
Ordered	15 August 1940
Builder	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	1021
Laid down	15 March 1941
Launched	30 December 1941
Commissioned	9 May 1942
Fate	Taken over by Imperial Japanese Navy on 6 May 1945
Japan
Name	I-501
Acquired	6 May 1945
Commissioned	15 July 1945
Fate	Surrendered, August 1945 Sunk on 12 February 1946 in the Strait of Malacca, in position 03°05′50″N 100°41′50″E, by the British frigates HMS Loch Glendhu and HMS Loch Lomond
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXD2 submarine
Displacement	1,610 t (1,580 long tons) surfaced 1,799 t (1,771 long tons) submerged
Length	87.58 m (287 ft 4 in) o/a 68.50 m (224 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	7.50 m (24 ft 7 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	10.20 m (33 ft 6 in)
Draught	5.35 m (17 ft 7 in)
Installed power	9,000 PS (6,620 kW; 8,880 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) surfaced 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph) surfaced
Range	12,750 nmi (23,610 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 57 nmi (106 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth	Calculated crush depth: 230 m (754 ft 7 in)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 dinghies
Complement	4-7 officers, 51-57 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) 24 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (150 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 2 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns
Service record (Kriegsmarine)
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 9 May – 30 September 1942 10th U-boat Flotilla 1 – 31 October 1942 12th U-boat Flotilla 1 November 1942 – 30 September 1944 33rd U-boat Flotilla 1 October 1944 – 5 May 1945
Identification codes:	M 45 435
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Wolfgang Lüth 9 May 1942 – 31 October 1943 F.Kapt. / Kapt.z.S. Kurt Freiwald 1 November 1943 – 5 May 1945
Operations:	4 patrols: 1st patrol: 12 September 1942 – 18 January 1943 2nd patrol: 23 March – 14 October 1943 3rd patrol: a. 16 March – 8 August 1944 b. 30 – 31 August 1944 c. 23 – 25 September 1944 4th patrol: a. 19 October 1944 – 5 January 1945 b. 14 – 16 January 1945
Victories:	27 merchant ships sunk (138,779 GRT)
Service record (IJN)
Part of:	1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet 15 July – August 1945
Commanders:	Kaigun-shōsa Kiyoteru Sato 15 July – August 1945
Operations:	None
Victories:	None

German submarine U-181 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1941 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard at Bremen as yard number 1021. She was launched on 30 December 1941 and commissioned on 9 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Lüth. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla at Stettin, U-181 was attached to the 10th flotilla for front-line service on 1 October 1942, then transferred to the 12th flotilla on 1 November.

Design

German Type IXD2 submarines were considerably larger than the original Type IXs. U-181 had a displacement of 1,610 tonnes (1,580 long tons) when at the surface and 1,799 tonnes (1,771 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 87.58 m (287 ft 4 in), a pressure hull length of 68.50 m (224 ft 9 in), a beam of 7.50 m (24 ft 7 in), a height of 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in), and a draught of 5.35 m (17 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines plus two MWM RS34.5S six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines for cruising, producing a total of 9,000 metric horsepower (6,620 kW; 8,880 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.85 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 200 metres (660 ft).

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph). When submerged, the boat could operate for 121 nautical miles (224 km; 139 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 12,750 nautical miles (23,610 km; 14,670 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-181 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 24 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 150 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 with 2575 rounds as well as two 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns with 8100 rounds. The boat had a complement of fifty-five.

Operational history

Under Lüth's command she sailed on two long combat patrols in late 1942 and 1943, patrolling the waters off South Africa and Mozambique and sinking 22 ships for a total of 103,712 GRT, earning him a promotion to Korvettenkapitän and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. He went on to command the 22nd U-boat Flotilla.

On 1 November 1943 under the command of Fregattenkapitän Kurt Freiwald and part of the 12th U-boat Flotilla. U-181 sailed from her base in Bordeaux, France to Penang, Malaya (now Malaysia) in mid–1944, sinking four ships totalling 24,869 GRT. They carried a Bachstelze and a Naxos radar detector on this trip. On 1 October 1944 the U-boat was transferred to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla. She carried out only one additional patrol in the Indian Ocean, in 1944–1945, on their journey home with 130 tons of tin, 20 tons of molybdenum, 80-100 tons of raw rubber, and the latest radar-detection equipment FUMB26 TUNIS. They ended up sinking a single ship of 10,198 GRT. Because of their cargo, they only had room for two torpedoes, which they used in this sinking. The trip home was aborted when the main bearings started to wear out, prompting a return to Batavia on 6 January 1945, but transferring their fuel to U-843 near the Cocos Islands on the way.

On the 12th, they were ordered to Penang, but only made it as far as Singapore. There they worked on repairing the engines and fitting a Schnorchel, before attempting a renewed trip home starting on 10 May.

Wolfpacks

U-181 took part in one wolfpack from 27 to 30 March 1943.

Fate

On 6 May, Otto Giese dropped the two code-key machines into the Singapore harbor, and later that day, the boat was "taken" by the Japanese Captain Marujama. Admiral Paul Wenneker sent the message on 8 May, that Lubeck was in place, "an early agreement between Germany and Japan, if one nation lost and the other continued fighting, the former would render its war material to the latter." The crew was taken to Batu Pahat.

After Germany's surrender in May 1945 the U-boat was taken over by Japan at Singapore and commissioned as I-501 on 15 July 1945. She surrendered to Allied forces there in August 1945, and was sunk on 12 February 1946 in the Strait of Malacca, in position 03°05′50″N 100°41′50″E / 3.09722°N 100.69722°E / 3.09722; 100.69722, by the British frigates HMS Loch Glendhu and HMS Loch Lomond.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
1st patrol
3 November 1942	East Indian	United States	8,159	Sunk
8 November 1942	Plaudit	Panama	5,060	Sunk
10 November 1942	K.G. Meldahl	Norway	3,799	Sunk
13 November 1942	Excello	United States	4,969	Sunk
19 November 1942	Gunda	Norway	2,241	Sunk
20 November 1942	Corinthiakos	Greece	3,562	Sunk
22 November 1942	Alcoa Pathfinder	United States	6,797	Sunk
24 November 1942	Dorington Court	United Kingdom	5,281	Sunk
24 November 1942	Mount Helmos	Greece	6,481	Sunk
28 November 1942	Evanthia	Greece	3,551	Sunk
30 November 1942	Cleanthis	Greece	4,153	Sunk
2 December 1942	Amarylis	Panama	4,328	Sunk
2nd patrol
11 April 1943	Empire Whimbrel	United Kingdom	5,983	Sunk
11 May 1943	Tinhow	United Kingdom	5,232	Sunk
27 May 1943	Sicilia	Sweden	1,633	Sunk
7 June 1943	Harrier	South Africa	193	Sunk
2 July 1943	Hoihow	United Kingdom	2,798	Sunk
15 July 1943	Empire Lake	United Kingdom	2,852	Sunk
16 July 1943	Fort Franklin	United Kingdom	7,135	Sunk
4 August 1943	Dalfram	United Kingdom	4,558	Sunk
7 August 1943	Umvuma	United Kingdom	4,419	Sunk
12 August 1943	Clan Macarthur	United Kingdom	10,528	Sunk
3rd patrol
1 May 1944	Janeta	United Kingdom	5,312	Sunk
19 June 1944	Garoet	Netherlands	7,118	Sunk
15 July 1944	Tanda	United Kingdom	7,174	Sunk
19 July 1944	King Frederick	United Kingdom	5,265	Sunk
4th patrol
2 November 1944	Fort Lee	United States	10,198	Sunk

References

^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD2 boat U-181". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-181". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
"I-501". IJN Submarine Service – Ijnsubsite.info. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
^ Gröner 1991, pp. 74–75.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Kapitän zur See Wolfgang Lüth". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
^ Giese, O., 1994, Shooting the War, Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, ISBN 1557503079
Hofmann, Markus. "U 181". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2010.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-181". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-181 from 12 Sep 1942 to 18 Jan 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-181 from 23 Mar 1943 to 14 Oct 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-181 from 16 Mar 1944 to 8 Aug 1944". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-181 from 19 Oct 1944 to 5 Jan 1945". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2010.

Bibliography

Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Giese, Otto; Wise, James E. (1994). Shooting the War: The Memoir and Photographs of a U-Boat Officer in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557503079.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

External links

Submarine I-501: Tabular Record of Movement
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD boat U-181". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 181". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.

v t e Type IXD submarine
Type IXD1	U-180 U-195
Type IXD2	U-177 U-178 U-179 U-181 U-182 U-196 U-197 U-198 U-199 U-200 U-847 U-848 U-849 U-850 U-851 U-852 U-859 U-860 U-861 U-862 U-863 U-864 U-871 U-872 U-873 U-874 U-875 U-876
IXD/42	U-883 U-884
Preceded by: Type IXC Followed by: Type X
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e German Type IX submarines
Type IXA	U-37 U-38 U-39 U-40 U-41 U-42 U-43 U-44
Type IXB	U-64 U-65 U-103 U-104 U-105 U-106 U-107 U-108 U-109 U-110 U-111 U-122 U-123 U-124
Type IXC	U-66 U-67 U-68 U-125 U-126 U-127 U-128 U-129 U-130 U-131 U-153 U-154 U-155 U-156 U-157 U-158 U-159 U-160 U-161 U-162 U-163 U-164 U-165 U-166 U-171 U-172 U-173 U-174 U-175 U-176 U-501 U-502 U-503 U-504 U-505 U-506 U-507 U-508 U-509 U-510 U-511 U-512 U-513 U-514 U-515 U-516 U-517 U-518 U-519 U-520 U-521 U-522 U-523 U-524
Type IXC/40	U-167 U-168 U-169 U-170 U-183 U-184 U-185 U-186 U-187 U-188 U-189 U-190 U-191 U-192 U-193 U-194 U-525 U-526 U-527 U-528 U-529 U-530 U-531 U-532 U-533 U-534 U-535 U-536 U-537 U-538 U-539 U-540 U-541 U-542 U-543 U-544 U-545 U-546 U-547 U-548 U-549 U-550 U-801 U-802 U-803 U-804 U-805 U-806 U-841 U-842 U-843 U-844 U-845 U-846 U-853 U-854 U-855 U-856 U-857 U-858 U-865 U-866 U-867 U-868 U-869 U-870 U-877 U-878 U-879 U-880 U-881 U-889 U-1221 U-1222 U-1223 U-1224 U-1225 U-1226 U-1227 U-1228 U-1229 U-1230 U-1231 U-1232 U-1233 U-1234 U-1235
Type IXD	U-177 U-178 U-179 U-180 U-181 U-182 U-195 U-196 U-197 U-198 U-199 U-200 U-847 U-848 U-849 U-850 U-851 U-852 U-859 U-860 U-861 U-862 U-863 U-864 U-871 U-872 U-873 U-874 U-875 U-876 U-883 U-884
Preceded by: Type VII Followed by: Type X List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1946
Shipwrecks	1 Jan: USS Dorsey 2 Jan: U-516, U-2502 3 Jan: Empire Tigachi, U-825, U-2336, U-2351 5 Jan: U-541, U-901, U-2506 6 Jan: U-1109, U-2356 7 Jan: U-1010, U-1023, U-2511 8 Jan: HMS Safari 14 Jan: USS Snowbell, USS Southard 28 Jan: Bluenose 30 Jan: Luray Victory January (unknown date): Akagi Maru 2 Feb: U-764 3 Feb: I-505 5 Feb: U-1228 10 Feb: U-975 12 Feb: I-501, U-3514 14 Feb: Fulham VII 15 Feb: I-502, I-506 February (unknown date): U-1197 1 Mar: Sackett's Harbor 4 Mar: USS Extricate 6 Mar: George W. Norris 11 Mar: USS Roche 16 Mar: Karl Leonhardt 26 Mar: Z34 27 Mar: HM LST-405 1 Apr: Charles S. Haight, Ha-103, Ha-105, Ha-106, Ha-107, Ha-108, Ha-109, Ha-111, Ha-201, Ha-202, Ha-203, Ha-208, I-36, I-47, I-53, I-58, I-156, I-157, I-158, I-159, I-162, I-366, I-367, I-402, Ro-50 4 Apr: USS S-35 5 Apr: Ha-207, Ha-210, Ha-216, I-202, Ro-31 8 Apr: USS Despatch 9 Apr: Empire Bridge 16 Apr: I-503, I-504 21 Apr: Empire Christopher 24 Apr: Alfios 30 Apr: Georgetown Victory, I-121, Ro-68, Ro-500, USS Solar, HMS Stubborn, HMAS Tolga 1 May: HMS Tarantula 8 May: I-153, I-154, I-155 9 May: Ha-205 14 May: USS Bellona 21 May: I-203 23 May: I-201 24 May: DD-224 (ex-USS Stewart) 28 May: I-14 31 May: I-401 May (unknown date): Ro-62, Ro-63 4 Jun: I-400, Kunashiri 7 Jun: Kamikaze 8 Jun: Myōkō 9 Jun: USS Solar 1 Jul: USS Anderson, USS Carlisle, USS Gilliam, USS Lamson, Sakawa 25 Jul: USS Apogon, USS Arkansas, USS LSM-60, USS Pilotfish, USS Saratoga, USS Skipjack 30 Jul: Nagato 2 Aug: Empire Cross August (unknown date): I-372 19 Sep: Ohio 16 Oct: Cassius Hudson 17 Oct: HMAS Waree 19 Oct: Takao 13 Nov: U-977 20 Nov: Albany 27 Nov: Laksnes 2 Dec: HMCS Middlesex 6 Dec: N35 8 Dec: Liberté, HMS Saltburn 16 Dec: Leipzig, Z29 22 Dec: Prinz Eugen 24 Dec: Northeastern Victory 26 Dec: Brigadier General M. G. Zalinski 31 Dec: Monte Pascoal, Schwabenland Unknown date: Claus Von Bevern, HMS Truant, Yu 1007
Other incidents	26 Jan: I-201 29 Jan: I-203 10 Feb: HMS Saga 14 Feb: Alfred Victory 3 Mar: Orphée 17 Apr: USS Wasp 8 May: HMS Orion (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Superb (Corfu Channel incident) 15 May: HMS Diomede 1 Jul: Prinz Eugen 25 Jul: Nagato, Prinz Eugen Jul: Patrick Henry 24 Sep RFA Green Ranger 22 Oct: HMS Mauritius, (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Leander ;(Corfu Channel incident), HMS Saumarez (Corfu Channel incident), HMS Volage (Corfu Channel incident) 12 Nov: HMS Ocean (Corfu Channel incident) 8 Dec: Empire Eden 6 Dec: Niels Poulson Unknown date: Brown Bear, I-201, I-203
1945 1947 December 1945

Categories: