German submarine U-181

Career (Germany)
Name:	U-181
Ordered:	15 August 1940
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number:	1021
Laid down:	15 March 1941
Launched:	30 December 1941
Commissioned:	9 May 1942
Fate:	Taken over by Japan, May 1945
Career (Japan)
Name:	I-501
Acquired:	May 1945
Commissioned:	15 July 1945
Fate:	Surrendered, August 1945 Scuttled, 12 February 1946
General characteristics
Type:	Type IXD2 submarine
Displacement:	surfaced 1616 tons submerged 1804 tons
Length:	Overall: 87.60 m (287.4 ft) Pressure hull: 68.50 m (224.7 ft)
Beam:	Overall: 7.50 m (24.6 ft) Pressure hull: 4.40 m (14.4 ft)
Draught:	5.40 m (17.7 ft)
Propulsion:	surfaced 5,400 hp submerged 1,100 hp
Speed:	surfaced 19.2 kn (35.6 km/h; 22.1 mph) submerged 6.9 kn (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph)
Range:	surfaced 31,500 nmi (58,300 km; 36,200 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged 57 nmi (106 km; 66 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Test depth:	Calculated crush depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Armament:	6 x 53.3 cm Torpedo tubes: four bow, two stern (24 torpedoes) or 72 TMA mines 1 x 105/45 deck gun with 150 rounds 1 x 37mm and 1 x 20mm FlaMW

German submarine U-181 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1941 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen as 'werk' 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.^[1]

Operational history

Under Lüth's command she sailed on two long combat patrols in late–1942 and 1943, haunting the waters off South Africa and Mozambique and sinking 22 ships for a total of 103,712 tons,^[2] making Lüth the second most successful U-boat commander of the war (after Otto Kretschmer) and earning him 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.^[3]

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 tons.^[2] On 1 October 1944 the U-boat was transferred to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla.^[1] She carried out only one patrol in the Indian Ocean, in 1944–1945, sinking a single ship of 10,198 tons.^[2]

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; 100.69722Coordinates: 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.^[4]

Summary of raiding history

See also

• List of German U-boats
• List of successful U-boat commanders

References

Notes

Bibliography

• U-181 at uboat.net
• U-181 at ubootwaffe.net
• U-181 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)

External links

• Submarine I-501: Tabular Record of Movement