German submarine U-131 (1941)

German submarine U-131 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen, she was laid down on 1 September 1940, launched on 1 April 1941, and commissioned on 1 July 1941, with Korvettenkapitän Arend Baumann in command.

Service history
U-131 sailed from Kiel on her first and only patrol on 27 November 1941.

On 6 December she torpedoed and sank the 4,016 ton British cargo ship Scottish Trader, a straggler from convoy SC-56, en route from Philadelphia to Liverpool, south of Iceland. All 43 of the crew perished.

On 17 December U-131 was spotted by a Martlet aircraft from the escort carrier HMS Audacity (D10) while shadowing Convoy HG 76 as part of the Seeräuber (English: "Pirate", lit. "Sea Robber") wolfpack.

U-131 was forced to dive, while ships of the 36th Escort Group, commanded by Frederic John Walker in HMS Stork (L81), with four other escorts; such as the destroyers HMS Exmoor, Blankney and Stanley and the corvette HMS Pentstemon (K61), approached to continue the attack. Detected by Stanley's ASDIC (sonar), she was depth charged by Pentstemon, and forced to surface, due to chlorine gas coming from the batteries. Unable to dive, she attempted to escape by running at full speed on the surface. While under pursuit U-131 shot down an attacking Martlet aircraft, killing the pilot, but was then shelled by the escort group, which scored several hits. Realizing that the situation was hopeless, the crew abandoned the U-boat and scuttled her. All 47 of the crew survived and were taken prisoner.