⚓ Shipwrecks Map

U-61 1945

Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).

Key facts

NameU-61Wikidata label
Year lost1945Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier
EraSecond World Warderived from year
Ship typeU-boatWikidata P31 instance of
Cause of lossScuttledWikidata P793 significant event: scuttling
Nationality / flagNazi GermanyWikidata P8047 country of registry
OperatorKriegsmarineWikidata P137 operator
ConflictWorld War IIWikidata P607 conflict
Sea / oceanNorth SeaNatural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon
Nearest coastGermanyNatural Earth (public domain); approx. 7 km from land
Position53.5200, 8.1700Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0)

About the wreck

German submarine U-61 was a Type IIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in the Second World War. It was built by Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel. Ordered on 21 June 1937, it was laid down on 1 October as yard number 260. It was launched on 15 June 1939 and commissioned on 12 August under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Jürgen Oesten.

U-61 was initially assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla during its training period, until 1 January 1940, when it was reassigned to the 1st flotilla for a front-line combat role. U-61 carried out eleven war patrols, sinking five ships for a total of 19,668 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging one of 4,434 tons. It then joined the 21st flotilla as a 'school' or training boat in November 1940 where it remained for the rest of the war.

It was scuttled at Wilhelmshaven on 5 May 1945.

Location

  • Recorded position: 53.5200, 8.1700 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
  • Sea / ocean: North Sea
  • Nearest coast: Germany

Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.

OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article German submarine U-61 (1939) (revision 1367314986), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.

Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).

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Further reading