Patrol info for U-581
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 11 Jan 1942 | St. Nazaire | 2 Feb 1942 | Lost | 23 days |
Commander | Officers * |
Kptlt. Werner Pfeifer |
2WO Walter Sitek |
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-581
Legend
shows the loss of the U-boat.
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We have 9 daily positions for the 23 days U-581 was at sea.
Departure from St. Nazaire on 11 Jan 1942.
12 Jan 1942 - 13 Jan 1942 - 14 Jan 1942 - 15 Jan 1942 - 16 Jan 1942 - 17 Jan 1942 - 18 Jan 1942 - 19 Jan 1942 - 20 Jan 1942 - 21 Jan 1942 - 22 Jan 1942 - 23 Jan 1942 - 24 Jan 1942 - 25 Jan 1942 - 26 Jan 1942 - 27 Jan 1942 - 28 Jan 1942 - 29 Jan 1942 - 30 Jan 1942 - 31 Jan 1942 - 1 Feb 1942 -
Sunk on 2 Feb 1942.
Ships hit by U-581 during this patrol
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1942 | U-581 | Werner Pfeifer | HMS Rosemonde | 364 |  | br | ||
| 364 | ||||||||
1 ship sunk (364 tons). | ||||||||
General Events during this patrol
1942
2 Feb 1942. On 2 Feb, 1942 the U-581 was sunk near the coast of Pico Island, in front of a place called Guidaste. One of the officers, Ltn. Walter Sitek, managed to swim 6 km to shore where he was picked up by the locals. He then managed to pass through neutral Spain and make his way to Germany again when he again went to sea on a U-boat. Oblt. Walter Sitek commanded 3 boats (U-17, U-981 and U-3005) during the rest of the war and survived the fighting. The rest of the crew, 37 men, were picked up by the British destroyer and taken to POW camp being finally released in 1947.
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Attacks on U-581 during this patrol
We have no recorded attacks on U-581 during this patrol (prior to its loss).
If you believe we have omitted an attack on U-581 please let us know.
See all patrols for U-581
* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.
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