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Missing German WW2 U-boat found 82 years on

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In short

The German World War II U-boat, U-672, that went missing 82 years ago has been found off the coast of Devon, England. The submarine was damaged by the Royal Navy in 1944 but was scuttled by its crew. The discovery was made after a dive team identified the vessel off the coast of Portland in August. The crew, all of whom survived the attack, were given a last chance of survival by the commander, who waited until the tanks were empty before blowing the sub up. The U-boat was found to be in the correct position but due to a clerical error in the documents, it was recorded with incorrect coordinates, resulting in it not being found until recently. The discovery has been welcomed by members of t…

Key points

  • The German World War II U-boat, U-672, that went missing 82 years ago has been found off…: The German World War II U-boat, U-672, that went missing 82 years ago has been found off the coast of Devon, England.
  • The submarine was damaged by the Royal Navy in 1944 but was scuttled by its crew.: The submarine was damaged by the Royal Navy in 1944 but was scuttled by its crew.
  • The discovery was made after a dive team identified the vessel off the coast of Portland…: The discovery was made after a dive team identified the vessel off the coast of Portland in August.

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A German submarine that went missing during World War Two after being damaged by the Royal Navy has been discovered 82 years on.

Plymouth dive team Gasperados identified the U-672 about 20 miles (32km) off Salcombe, Devon, after it was discovered by a deep sea diving team from Portland in August at a depth of about 230ft (70m).

The vessel was attacked by HMS Balfour in July 1944 but was scuttled by its 52 crew - all of whom survived. A navy log showing the sinking had incorrect coordinates, resulting in it not being found until recently.

Members of Gasperados said they were "really pleased" they could help identify the vessel.

Gasperados diver Dominic Robinson said: "Once we started moving around it and I started seeing the individual features - I saw the snorkel, I saw the conning tower, all those kind of things - I knew that we were going to get the video needed to identify it, so I was really pleased about that."

After its attack, the U-boat was left leaking underwater.

Its commander waited for as long as possible before making the decision to blow the tanks and bring the sub up to give its crew a last chance of survival.

Robinson said they "managed to get it to the surface" before getting into their life rafts for survival.

"They were bobbing around in the sea and then the very next day they were found by British aircraft, British vessels and then taken away to the prisoner of war camp," he explained.

German World War Two historian Dr Axel Niestle, who specialises in U-boats, said the wreck "was in the correct position" but, "due to a clerical error in the documents", had a position recorded which differed "some 46 miles (74km) from the actual position".

The surviving crewmembers returned to Germany after the war, including the U-boat's skipper.

Robinson said he had spoken to his family, who said he lived a "long and happy life".

He added: "They just said how proud he would have been and how pleased he would have been to know that it had been found at last."

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Original source: www.bbc.co.uk

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