Divers discover missing German wartime submarine – 82 years on

Divers have discovered a German submarine that went missing during the Second World War off the Devon coast.

The wreck had been sitting on the seabed, about 230ft (70m) down, but it had been assumed to be a sunken First World War sailing vessel.

But in July, divers discovered it was a German U-boat. The following month, a dive team called the Gasperados headed out to try to identify it and said clues pointed strongly towards it being one particular boat, U-672.

HMS Balfour had attacked the submarine in July 1944, and its 52 crew scuttled it and survived. However, navy log had coordinates for it that were nearly 40 nautical miles away.

After its attack, the U-boat was left leaking underwater. Its commander waited for as long as possible before deciding to blow the tanks and bring the sub up to give its crew a chance of survival.

Gasperados diver Dominic Robinson said the wreck had some fascinating features, including a steel prop and “the early Schnorchel system and the remains of the German Aphrodite radar decoy equipment”.

“We’ve solved another underwater mystery, which is fantastic,” he said.

Finding the snorkel was a vital clue in identifying the U-boat.

Mr Robinson said in a video about their exploration and discovery: “Submarines are particularly interesting because unlike merchant ships, there were a very finite number of them.

“We know which German U-boats existed. We know the fate of actually the vast majority of them. And over the past few decades, diver researchers have identified almost all the German U-boats lying in the English Channel.

“There really aren’t many mysteries left, which makes it rather special when another one suddenly appears.”

After the discovery, the family of the U-boat’s commander, Ulf Lawaetz, got in touch with the divers and said how pleased they were that the wreck had finally been found and identified, 82 years on.

The family showed the divers a small numbered tag that Mr Lawaetz kept for the rest of his life.

Mr Robinson said: “Wreck identification can sometimes feel very focused on positions, construction details, photographs and pieces of metal.

“Then somebody's family gets in touch and suddenly you are reminded that there were real people behind all of it.”