German submarine U-981 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered on 5 June 1941, and was laid down on 24 August 1942 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, as yard number 181. She was launched on 29 April 1943 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Walter Sitek on 3 June 1943. Design German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-981 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-981 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes or 26 TMA mines, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one twin C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between 44 — 52 men. Service history U-981 sailed on three uneventful war patrols, sinking no ships in 87 total days at sea. On 12 August 1944, U-981 was sunk by an air-laid mine and depth charges off of La Rochelle, France, in the Bay of Biscay. U-981 struck a mine in the British field Cinnamon and was attacked by a British Halifax of 502 Squadron/F RAF. Forty of the crew of fifty-two survived. The wreck is located at . Wolfpacks U-981 took part in five wolfpacks, namely: Coronel 1 (14 – 17 December 1943) Sylt (18 – 23 December 1943) Rügen 1 (23 – 28 December 1943) Rügen 2 (28 December 1943 – 7 January 1944) Rügen (7 – 26 January 1944) References External links Bibliography German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1943 World War II submarines of Germany Ships built in Hamburg 1943 ships Maritime incidents in August 1944 World War II shipwrecks