U-534 at Birkenhead - Any news about the boat?

Chock · 05-16-07, 03:27 PM

One of the tricky aspects is that despite the fact that U-534 was at Birkenhead, I understand that it is actually Norwegian-owned, given that it was raised from the Skageraak by a salvage company and was effectively on loan, having been sailed to Merseyside on a barge.

The ownership issue was quoted to me on the tour I took of U-534, and was one of the reasons we were not allowed to photograph the interior. So things are not very simple where this boat is concerned.

It's absolutely unthinkable to me that scrapping would be considered, as U-534 is unique in that it was actually allowed to be raised, because it wasn't a designated war grave. It's certainly a remarkable experience to be able to see inside a U-Boat that has actually sunk and witness first-hand the damage that a depth charge did to the thing. And the fact that much of the original equipemnt is still in situ, even after all these years inside the boat, makes it one of the most valuable historic artifacts in the world for me.

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05-16-07, 03:27 PM	#11
Chock Sea Lord Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a thermal layer in chilly Olde England Posts: 1,842 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	One of the tricky aspects is that despite the fact that U-534 was at Birkenhead, I understand that it is actually Norwegian-owned, given that it was raised from the Skageraak by a salvage company and was effectively on loan, having been sailed to Merseyside on a barge. The ownership issue was quoted to me on the tour I took of U-534, and was one of the reasons we were not allowed to photograph the interior. So things are not very simple where this boat is concerned. It's absolutely unthinkable to me that scrapping would be considered, as U-534 is unique in that it was actually allowed to be raised, because it wasn't a designated war grave. It's certainly a remarkable experience to be able to see inside a U-Boat that has actually sunk and witness first-hand the damage that a depth charge did to the thing. And the fact that much of the original equipemnt is still in situ, even after all these years inside the boat, makes it one of the most valuable historic artifacts in the world for me.