German submarine U-534

U-534 at the Nautilus Museum, Birkenhead near Liverpool, UK

U-534 at Birkenhead Docks, Merseyside, England

Part of the hull and conning tower of U-534

Unterseeboot 534 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the Kriegsmarine and was built in 1942 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder by Deutsche Werft AG.

She was sunk on 5 May 1945 by 10 depth charges launched from a British Liberator aircraft. She sank in the waters of Kattegat north-west of Elsinore, in position 56°39′N 11°48′E. In 1993 Danish media millionaire, Karsten Ree, sponsored the raising of the submarine amid rumours of nazi gold and intense media coverage. Hopes of gold treasure were disappointed, however, as the ship contained nothing but what was to be expected. In 1996 she was transported to Birkenhead, UK and formed part of the Warship Preservation Trust's collection at the Birkenhead docks.

The Museum closed 5 February 2006. On 27 June 2007, the Merseytravel transit authority announced that it had acquired the submarine, which it plans to cut into three sections and display at the Woodside Ferry Terminal.

On October 21, 2007, the Merseytravel passenger transport authority announced that the submarine would form the centrepiece of a new visitor attraction at Woodside ferry terminal. However, to facilitate the economical transportation of the boat to its new site, it will be cut into four sections. U-534 will then be displayed in this form to allow visitors better access and visibility. Merseytravel said that preserving the hull intact would have created prohibitive transport costs.

External links

• Exploration of U-534 in July 2007
• U-534 Information page on uboat.net
• U-534 Information and photos