Type 81 was a class of

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s built during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

by the

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title 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 wa ...

. 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, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Type IX The Type IX U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern Un ...

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. Type 81 boats were responsible for sinking 3.537% of all allied shipping sunk during the war, taking a total of 427,247 combined tons. They also damaged 89,522 combined tons, and captured 3,462 combined tons.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Type U 081 U-Boat Submarine classes World War I submarines of Germany German Type U 81 submarines