German submarine U-881

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-881
Ordered	2 April 1942
Builder	AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	1089
Laid down	7 August 1943
Launched	4 March 1944
Commissioned	27 May 1944
Fate	sunk by USS Farquhar, 6 May 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced; 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a; 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced; 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged;
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in)deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA gun; 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine; 4th U-boat Flotilla (training); May 1944 – February 1945; 33rd U-boat Flotilla; March – May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 19 715
Commanders:	Kptlt. Dr. Karl-Heinz Frischke; May 1944 – May 1945;
Operations:	1 patrols
Victories:	None

German submarine U-881 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was ordered on 2 April 1942, laid down on 7 August 1943, and launched on 4 March 1944. She was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Dr.jur. Karl-Heinz Frischke (Crew 36) on 27 May 1944. Initially assigned to the 4th U-boat Flotilla, she was transferred to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla on 1 March 1945.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-881 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged.^[2] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 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 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).^[2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).^[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-881 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[2]

Service history

For her first patrol, U-881 was assigned to operate in US coastal waters with wolfpack Seewolf.^[3] During this operation U-881 was depth charged and sunk by the American destroyer escort Farquhar on 6 May 1945 in one of the last actions in American waters of the Atlantic campaign. She sank at position 43°18′N 47°44′W / 43.300°N 47.733°W / 43.300; -47.733 with the loss of all 54 men on board.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-881". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
^ Blair p 687

Bibliography

Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942-1945 (1998) ISBN 0-304-35261-6 (2000 UK paperback ed.)
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |last-author-amp= (help)
Tarrant, V. E. (1989). The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-764-7. OCLC 20338385.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-881". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.

[U881-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-881". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 March 2009.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199168-2] Gröner 1991, p. 68.

[3] Blair p 687

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e German Type IXC/40 submarines
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
Preceded by: Type IXC Followed by: Type IXD
List of U-boats of Germany