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
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 | Map | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1942 | U-581 | Werner Pfeifer | HMS Rosemonde | 364 |  | br | A | ||
| 364 | |||||||||
1 ship sunk (364 tons). | |||||||||
General Events during this patrol
1942
2 Feb 1942. U-581 was sunk off the island of Pico in the Azores by the British destroyer HMS Westcott. Leutnant Walter Sitek, the II. WO, managed to swim 6 km (4 miles) to shore at a point near the village of Guidaste, where he was rescued by the local inhabitants. He then managed to make his way to neutral Spain and in May 1942 returned to Germany, after which he served again in the U-Bootwaffe. Oblt. Sitek went on to command three boats - U-17, U-981 and U-3005 - and survived the war. The other survivors from U-581 were rescued by HMS Westcott and HMS Croome and ended up as prisoners of war, not being released until 1947.
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Attacks on U-581 during this patrol
We have no recorded attacks on U-581 duing 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.