Scuttled U Boats

Octopus · 17th June 2007, 12:23

Hi,
After information from anyone in the know!

Been doing some research into Operation Regenbogen (Rainbow) whereby many U Boats were scuttled in the last days of the war in northern German bays. They were sent there to avoid the unrelenting allied bombing of the ship yards.
It appears twenty two boats were scuttled in one large bay, Geltinger Bucht (German for bight or bay) which is north of Kiel, just below Denmark.

From what I can tell eight Type XXI's and one Type XXIII may not have been broken up. Gelting seems to be a holiday area now. However, I can't find any mention of anyone diving the Boats.

Does anyone know anything about the fate of these boats or has anyone dived them?

If they are still there it would make for an interesting expedition!

canetoad · 17th June 2007, 16:55

Here is what I found after a quick search: uboat.net - U-boat Operations. Has info on at least one other scuttling operation, as well as basic maps of scuttling locations. See: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats. Gelting had the most scuttled with 43. Here is a partial breakdown:
Location, Numbers, & Details:
Gelting Bay 43; 16 XXIII, 14 VIIC, 12 XXI and 1 Walter.
Kiel (and Kiel-Wik) 39; 17 XXI, 12 VIIC, 4 II, 4 XXIII, 2 Walter.
Travemünde 32; 29 XXI and 3 VIIC.
Wilhelmshaven 21; 15 II, 4 VIIC and 2 XXI.
Flensburg (and -fjord) 10; 9 VIIC and 1 XXI.
Hamburg 10; 4 XXI, 4 XXIII and 2 Walter boats.

No info on current status of boats or if they have been dived, but given the numbers involved, I would be suprised there aren't some that are divable. Also; looks like this website has a lot of useful info, may want to look around a bit. Hope this helps.

canetoad · 17th June 2007, 17:27

Did a little more checking. At the fates page: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats, scroll down to" "Sorted by Type", the table there has links to some of the types & list fate of each individual boat. Most appear to have been broken up but some show entries simular to this:
"Sunk 6 May, 1945 at 1839hrs in the Skagerak northeast of Skagen Horn, Denmark, in position 57.52N, 10.49E, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/G). 58 dead (all hands lost)."
Looks like you have exact location on some of these.

RebreatherNut · 17th June 2007, 18:02

Octopus,
Please keep us posted on your findings and if you end up diving on one of those scuttled U-Boats. Always a fascinating subject those German WWII U-Boats.

cheers,
RBN

Octopus · 18th June 2007, 14:09

Thanks for your help guys, going to do some serious digging on this. It seems to be a largely ignored piece of history with most books either completely missing it out or only having a few lines.

I have also come up with around 42-43 U Boats in this one bay alone, including the famous Type VII's, Type XXI electro boats and possibly a U Tanker. It would have been a mammoth task to scrap all of them so hopefully some are still left. Just need a North German contact now to help!

Keep you updated.

Johnny Christensen · 18th June 2007, 15:46

Quote: (Originally Posted by canetoad)

Did a little more checking. At the fates page: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats, scroll down to" "Sorted by Type", the table there has links to some of the types & list fate of each individual boat. Most appear to have been broken up but some show entries simular to this:
"Sunk 6 May, 1945 at 1839hrs in the Skagerak northeast of Skagen Horn, Denmark, in position 57.52N, 10.49E, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/G). 58 dead (all hands lost)."
Looks like you have exact location on some of these.

Errmm... I would consider that kind of entry to be within the acuracy of about 200 square miles or so. I just happen to know about some local guys here, that dedicated their whole life since the sixties to hunting down missing subs. And when they find something, it's typically very far from the official positions.
They have had big operations to raise artifacts or in the case of U-534 the entire boat from a depth of 65m / 220 fsw.
The last shipment of gold and valuables are still escaping them.

The sub war still holds a lot of interest amongst some people here, the amount of time and money they have spent in pursuit of them are simply mindblowing.

KevDD · 18th June 2007, 21:43

We tend to dive operation deadlight subs off the north cost of ireland every now and then.

Nice wrecks, some of them very intact and usually we get about 20m vis up there.

Check out Operation Deadlight Expedition for anyone who hasn't already read it. They have a nice DVD (once you mute the music and voice over).

Octopus · 19th June 2007, 11:04

Quote: (Originally Posted by Johnny Christensen)

Errmm... I would consider that kind of entry to be within the acuracy of about 200 square miles or so. I just happen to know about some local guys here, that dedicated their whole life since the sixties to hunting down missing subs. And when they find something, it's typically very far from the official positions.
They have had big operations to raise artifacts or in the case of U-534 the entire boat from a depth of 65m / 220 fsw.
The last shipment of gold and valuables are still escaping them.

The sub war still holds a lot of interest amongst some people here, the amount of time and money they have spent in pursuit of them are simply mindblowing.

Johnny,
Thanks for the input. As you're the nearest to the area I'am looking at, any info you may have on the boats would be much appriciated, even if its negative or just rumours!
My research is going well, but its throwing up more questions than answers on the fates of many of the boats. As usual most authorities on the subject contradict each other.
Please PM me if you get a chance.

**mattmexico** · 19th June 2007, 16:35

yo

A lot of the areas close to the areas mentioned might be military restricted zones and areas today. Besides U-Boats a lot of ammo including chemical weapons where dumped in the Baltic. Current training areas for the German Navy might be there as well, and would be marked as restricted areas on nautical charts.

To find out what is restricted and what not just get a nautical chart for said area either by printed copy or if anyone has access to the Sea Max or similar nautical chart software look it up. Then you would get a good idea of depth in that area too.

greetings
Matt

Octopus · 20th June 2007, 10:54

Fortunatley the area is a large shallow bay and fjord which is popular for all watersports-except diving. Its a holiday area these days. Can't find a single dive shop/boat operator within 100 miles (nearesr was Kiel!).
Going to do a research trip this winter as you can only get so far on the internet. I'll let you all know what I dig up.

17th June 2007, 12:23	#1 (permalink)
Octopus New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colchester Essex Posts: 25	Scuttled U Boats Hi, After information from anyone in the know! Been doing some research into Operation Regenbogen (Rainbow) whereby many U Boats were scuttled in the last days of the war in northern German bays. They were sent there to avoid the unrelenting allied bombing of the ship yards. It appears twenty two boats were scuttled in one large bay, Geltinger Bucht (German for bight or bay) which is north of Kiel, just below Denmark. From what I can tell eight Type XXI's and one Type XXIII may not have been broken up. Gelting seems to be a holiday area now. However, I can't find any mention of anyone diving the Boats. Does anyone know anything about the fate of these boats or has anyone dived them? If they are still there it would make for an interesting expedition! __________________ "You can write what you like, you're not going to win this war!"-Capt G. Mainwaring Dads Army
(Offline)

17th June 2007, 16:55	#2 (permalink)
canetoad New Member Current Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 30	Re: Scuttled U Boats Here is what I found after a quick search: uboat.net - U-boat Operations. Has info on at least one other scuttling operation, as well as basic maps of scuttling locations. See: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats. Gelting had the most scuttled with 43. Here is a partial breakdown: Location, Numbers, & Details: Gelting Bay 43; 16 XXIII, 14 VIIC, 12 XXI and 1 Walter. Kiel (and Kiel-Wik) 39; 17 XXI, 12 VIIC, 4 II, 4 XXIII, 2 Walter. Travemünde 32; 29 XXI and 3 VIIC. Wilhelmshaven 21; 15 II, 4 VIIC and 2 XXI. Flensburg (and -fjord) 10; 9 VIIC and 1 XXI. Hamburg 10; 4 XXI, 4 XXIII and 2 Walter boats. No info on current status of boats or if they have been dived, but given the numbers involved, I would be suprised there aren't some that are divable. Also; looks like this website has a lot of useful info, may want to look around a bit. Hope this helps. __________________ PM
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17th June 2007, 17:27	#3 (permalink)
canetoad New Member Current Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 30	Re: Scuttled U Boats Did a little more checking. At the fates page: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats, scroll down to" "Sorted by Type", the table there has links to some of the types & list fate of each individual boat. Most appear to have been broken up but some show entries simular to this: "Sunk 6 May, 1945 at 1839hrs in the Skagerak northeast of Skagen Horn, Denmark, in position 57.52N, 10.49E, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/G). 58 dead (all hands lost)." Looks like you have exact location on some of these. __________________ PM
(Offline)

17th June 2007, 18:02	#4 (permalink)
RebreatherNut Casual Sport Kiss Pilot Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Ray Other Rebreather/s: Ray Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 720	Re: Scuttled U Boats Octopus, Please keep us posted on your findings and if you end up diving on one of those scuttled U-Boats. Always a fascinating subject those German WWII U-Boats. cheers, RBN __________________ "One minute to go, Luck-meister! Then I'll be down on you like a buzzard on a gut wagon." - ALF
(Online)

18th June 2007, 14:09	#5 (permalink)
Octopus New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colchester Essex Posts: 25	Re: Scuttled U Boats Thanks for your help guys, going to do some serious digging on this. It seems to be a largely ignored piece of history with most books either completely missing it out or only having a few lines. I have also come up with around 42-43 U Boats in this one bay alone, including the famous Type VII's, Type XXI electro boats and possibly a U Tanker. It would have been a mammoth task to scrap all of them so hopefully some are still left. Just need a North German contact now to help! Keep you updated. __________________ "You can write what you like, you're not going to win this war!"-Capt G. Mainwaring Dads Army
(Offline)

18th June 2007, 15:46	#6 (permalink)
Johnny Christensen RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 307	Re: Scuttled U Boats Quote: (Originally Posted by canetoad) Did a little more checking. At the fates page: uboat.net - Fates - Scuttled U-boats, scroll down to" "Sorted by Type", the table there has links to some of the types & list fate of each individual boat. Most appear to have been broken up but some show entries simular to this: "Sunk 6 May, 1945 at 1839hrs in the Skagerak northeast of Skagen Horn, Denmark, in position 57.52N, 10.49E, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/G). 58 dead (all hands lost)." Looks like you have exact location on some of these. Errmm... I would consider that kind of entry to be within the acuracy of about 200 square miles or so. I just happen to know about some local guys here, that dedicated their whole life since the sixties to hunting down missing subs. And when they find something, it's typically very far from the official positions. They have had big operations to raise artifacts or in the case of U-534 the entire boat from a depth of 65m / 220 fsw. The last shipment of gold and valuables are still escaping them. The sub war still holds a lot of interest amongst some people here, the amount of time and money they have spent in pursuit of them are simply mindblowing. __________________ www.johnnychristensen.com Wreckphotography from the cold north
(Offline)

18th June 2007, 21:43	#7 (permalink)
KevDD Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 99	Re: Scuttled U Boats We tend to dive operation deadlight subs off the north cost of ireland every now and then. Nice wrecks, some of them very intact and usually we get about 20m vis up there. Check out Operation Deadlight Expedition for anyone who hasn't already read it. They have a nice DVD (once you mute the music and voice over).
(Offline)

19th June 2007, 11:04	#8 (permalink)
Octopus New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colchester Essex Posts: 25	Re: Scuttled U Boats Quote: (Originally Posted by Johnny Christensen) Errmm... I would consider that kind of entry to be within the acuracy of about 200 square miles or so. I just happen to know about some local guys here, that dedicated their whole life since the sixties to hunting down missing subs. And when they find something, it's typically very far from the official positions. They have had big operations to raise artifacts or in the case of U-534 the entire boat from a depth of 65m / 220 fsw. The last shipment of gold and valuables are still escaping them. The sub war still holds a lot of interest amongst some people here, the amount of time and money they have spent in pursuit of them are simply mindblowing. Johnny, Thanks for the input. As you're the nearest to the area I'am looking at, any info you may have on the boats would be much appriciated, even if its negative or just rumours! My research is going well, but its throwing up more questions than answers on the fates of many of the boats. As usual most authorities on the subject contradict each other. Please PM me if you get a chance. __________________ "You can write what you like, you're not going to win this war!"-Capt G. Mainwaring Dads Army
(Offline)

19th June 2007, 16:35	#9 (permalink)
mattmexico PROTEC MEXICO Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Classic Kiss Optima RB80 / Clone Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Prism Topaz Sport Kiss RB80 / Clone Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mexico, Q.Roo, Playa del Carmen Posts: 773	Re: Scuttled U Boats yo A lot of the areas close to the areas mentioned might be military restricted zones and areas today. Besides U-Boats a lot of ammo including chemical weapons where dumped in the Baltic. Current training areas for the German Navy might be there as well, and would be marked as restricted areas on nautical charts. To find out what is restricted and what not just get a nautical chart for said area either by printed copy or if anyone has access to the Sea Max or similar nautical chart software look it up. Then you would get a good idea of depth in that area too. greetings Matt __________________ N 20' 37.617' W 87' 04.693' www.andreaswmatthes.com
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20th June 2007, 10:54	#10 (permalink)
Octopus New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colchester Essex Posts: 25	Re: Scuttled U Boats Fortunatley the area is a large shallow bay and fjord which is popular for all watersports-except diving. Its a holiday area these days. Can't find a single dive shop/boat operator within 100 miles (nearesr was Kiel!). Going to do a research trip this winter as you can only get so far on the internet. I'll let you all know what I dig up. __________________ "You can write what you like, you're not going to win this war!"-Capt G. Mainwaring Dads Army
(Offline)

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