Type 201 submarine

The Type 201 was Germany's first class of military submarines built after World War II. They were built out of amagnetic steel to counter the threat of magnetic naval mines, but the material had been insufficiently tested and proved to be problematic in service with the Bundesmarine. Microscopic cracks in the pressure hull forced the cancellation of nine of the twelve ordered submarines and the early retirement of the three completed boats. They were replaced by the very similar Type 205 submarines, that were constructed with normal steel. Responsible for the design and construction was the Ingenieurkontor Lübeck (IKL) headed by Ulrich Gabler.

Class overview
Builders: Howaldtswerke, Kiel, Germany
Operators:
Succeeded by: Type 205 submarine
Built: 1960–1962
In commission: 1962–1967
Planned: 12
Completed: 3
Cancelled: 9
Active: 0
Retired: 3
General characteristics
Type: Type 201 U-boat
Displacement:
  • 395 t (389 long tons) surfaced
  • 433 t (426 long tons) submerged
Length: 42.40 m (139 ft 1 in)
Beam: 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)
Draft: 3.80 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 10.7 knots (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph), surfaced;
  • 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph), submerged
Range:
  • 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi), surfaced;
  • 270 nautical miles (500 km; 310 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph), submerged
Test depth: 100 metres (330 ft)
Complement: 21
Sensors and
processing systems:		 sonar, radar, periscope, GHG
Armament:

List of boats
Pennant
number		 Name Shipyard Laid down Launched Com-
missioned		 Decom-
missioned		 fate
S180U-1Howaldtswerke 8 June 1960 2 October 1961 20 March 1962 22 June 1963
S181U-2Howaldtswerke 1 September 1960 25 January 1962 3 May 1962 15 August 1963 broken up
S182U-3Howaldtswerke 12 October 1960 7 May 1962 20 June 1964 15 September 1967 sunk in trials 1971

U-3 was loaned to the Royal Norwegian Navy and served under the name Kobben from 1962 to 1964 before being commissioned in the German Navy.

References
  • Karr, Hans (2014). Deutsche Uboote seit 1956 (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch. ISBN 9783613037083.
  • Taucher.net (in German)


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