Type 81 was a class of
U-boat
U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
s built during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by the
Kaiserliche Marine
The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control.
The term was used partic ...
.
Design
Type 81 U-boats carried 12
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es and had various arrangements of deck guns. U 81 to U 83 had one deck gun with 140-240 rounds. U 84 - U 86 were constructed with two deck guns. In 1917, U 84 - U 86 were converted to a carry one 10.5 cm and one 8.8 cm deck gun and carried 240 rounds.
They carried a crew of four officers and 31 men and had excellent seagoing abilities with a cruising range of around . Many arrangements from the Type 81 and the next two types were also seen on the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Type IX U-boats when their design work took place 20 years later.
Compared to the previous type 63, the 81s were longer, while the pressure hull remained the same.
They were faster on the surface, and faster submerged and increased range by to 11,200 nmi at 8 knots. They carried 12 torpedoes instead of 6, and by 1917 all type 87s had the larger 10.5 cm deck gun versus the twin 8.8 cm on the 63s. Crew size was decreased by 1 to 35.
Compared to the following type 87, the 81s were longer, yet 5 tons lighter.
[ Their range was 180 miles shorter, but speed was faster on the surface and faster submerged. The most significant difference was the addition of 4 more torpedoes and 2 additional bow tubes on the type 87. Type 87 also got the additional crew member back and numbered 36 again.
]
Service history
Type 81 boats were responsible for sinking 3.537% of all Allied shipping sunk during the war, accounting for a total of 427,247 combined tons. They also damaged 89,522 combined tons, and captured 3,462 combined tons.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Type U 081 U-Boat
Submarine classes
World War I submarines of Germany
German Type U 81 submarines