ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

**German Submarine U-81 (1941)**
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### Overview

U-81 was a German submarine of type VII C used during World War II. The boat sank several ships, including the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.

### Displacement and Performance

* Displacement: 769 tons (757 long tons) at surface, 871 tonnes (857 long tonnes) while submerged
* Power: 2 x Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 diesel engines, 750 kW, 1 500 hp (± 5200 rpm)
* Speed:
+ Surface: 20 km/h
+ Submerged: 7.6 uzb (14.1 km/hr) or 8.7 mph
+ Maximum speed: 92 mi at 4 nodi (7.4 km/h)

### Armament

* Five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern)
* Fourteen torpedoes
* One 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds
* Two 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns

### Operational History

#### Early Patrols

U-81 was commissioned on February 26, 1941, and initially served with the 1st U-flotilla in Kiel and Brest. The boat completed several training and front patrols until November 30, 1941.

#### Mediterranean Patrols

From December 1, 1941, U-81 belonged to the 29th flotilla in La Spezia, Salamis, and Pola in the Mediterranean. During this period, the boat sank several ships, including:

* Egyptian sailing vessels: Hefz el Rahman (19 April), El Saadiah (22 April)
* British steamer Empire Springbuck (September 9, 1941) with 5,591 GRT
* British steamer Sally Maersk (September 10, 1941) with 3,252 GRT

#### Later Patrols

U-81's next patrol was into the western Mediterranean. The boat sank two more Egyptian sailing ships and several other vessels during this period.

### Sinking

On January 9, 1944, U-81 was attacked by US bombers while in port at Pula, Croatia. The submarine was declared a total loss and spent the rest of the war under repair.

### References

* Hofmann, Markus. "U 81". uboat.net. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
* "Type VIIC boat U-81". uboat.net. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
* "U 81 (War Navy)". u-boot-archiv.de. Retrieved December 26, 2014.