U-601

Type

VIIC

Ordered

22 May 1940

Laid down

10 Feb 1941

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 577)

Launched

29 Oct 1941

Commissioned

18 Dec 1941

Oblt. Peter-Ottmar Grau

Commanders

18 Dec 1941	-	28 Nov 1943		Kptlt. Peter-Ottmar Grau (German Cross in Gold)
29 Nov 1943	-	25 Feb 1944		Oblt. Otto Hansen

Career
10 patrols

18 Dec 1941	-	30 Jun 1942	5. Flottille (training)
1 Jul 1942	-	31 May 1943	11. Flottille (active service)
1 Jun 1943	-	25 Feb 1944	13. Flottille (active service)

Successes

4 ships sunk, total tonnage 8,869 GRT

Fate

Sunk on 25 February 1944 in the Norwegian Sea north-west of Narvik, Norway, in position 70.26N, 12.40E, by depth charges from a British Catalina aircraft (210 Sqn RAF/M). 51 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 4 ships hit by U-601 - View the 10 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-601 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Boreas (19 Nov 1942 - 6 Dec 1942)
   Wiking (20 Sep 1943 - 3 Oct 1943)
   Eisenbart (19 Dec 1943 - 5 Jan 1944)
   Isegrim (16 Jan 1944 - 27 Jan 1944)
   Werwolf (27 Jan 1944 - 1 Feb 1944)

General notes on this boat

26 Jul 1942. At night U-601 entered Moller Bay in order to attack a radio station discovered two days earlier at Malye Karmakuly, Novaya Zemlya. It fired 44 shells from the 88mm deck gun and 280 rounds with the 20mm AA guns between 23.21 and 23.40 hours, destroying the radio station, three shelters, two storage sheds and two GST flying boats lying at anchor. Soviet soldiers initially returned fire and hit the U-boat once in the conning tower fairing, but were soon silenced. An aircraft mechanic was killed and four other men wounded during the shelling. U-601 ceased the attack after running slightly aground in an attempt to fire at a small sailing vessel sheltered behind rocks.