German submarine U-601

German submarine U-601 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service in World War II. She was commissioned on 18 December 1941 and sunk on 25 February 1944, having sunk four ships. Her commanders were Peter-Ottmar Grau and Otto Hansen.

Description
U-601 was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 577. She was ordered on 22 May 1940 and the keel was laid down on 10 February 1941. U-601 was launched on 29 October 1941.

Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-601 had a displacement of 769 t when at the surface and 871 t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m, a pressure hull length of 50.50 m, a beam of 6.20 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.74 m. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2800 to 3200 PS for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 m.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 8500 nmi at 10 kn. U-601 was fitted with five 53.3 cm torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds and a 2 cm C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history
She took part in ten patrols; exclusively in the Arctic Ocean. She was assigned to:
 * 5th U-boat Flotilla (18 December 1941 – 30 June 1942)
 * 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 July 1942 – 31 May 1943)
 * 13th U-boat Flotilla (1 June 1943 – 25 February 1944)

On 23 November 1942, she along with GS U-625 as part of wolfpack Boreas, attacked Convoy QP 15 and sank the Soviet cargo ship Kuznets Lesov.

Fate
She was sunk by depth charges in the Arctic Ocean on 25 February 1944 North west of Narvik, Norway by a RAF Catalina at position 70.43333°N, 12.66667°W. She was lost with all 51 hands.

Wolfpacks
U-601 took part in five wolfpacks, namely:
 * Boreas (19 November – 6 December 1942)
 * Wiking (20 September – 3 October 1943)
 * Eisenbart (19 December 1943 – 5 January 1944)
 * Isegrim (16 – 27 January 1944)
 * Werwolf (27 January – 1 February 1944)