U-859 1944
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | U-859 | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1944 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | U-boat | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | Nazi Germany | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Kriegsmarine | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | Battle of the Atlantic | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Strait of Malacca | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Malaysia | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 37 km from land |
| Position | 5.7667, 100.0667 | Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0) |
About the wreck
German submarine U-859 was a Type IXD2 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was one of a select number of U-boats to join Monsun Gruppe or Monsoon Group, which operated in the Far East alongside the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Diving & visiting
In 1972 a total of 12 tons of mercury were recovered from U-859 and brought to Singapore. The West German Embassy claimed ownership of the mercury. The Receiver of Wreck took possession of the mercury, and the High Court of Singapore ruled that "the German state has never ceased to exist despite Germany's unconditional surrender in 1945 and whatever was the property of the German State, unless it was captured and taken away by one of the Allied Powers, still remains the property of the German State..."
Location
- Recorded position: 5.7667, 100.0667 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Strait of Malacca
- Nearest coast: Malaysia
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.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article German submarine U-859 (revision 1380244022), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Salvage”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
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Other wrecks of the Battle of the Atlantic
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- German submarine U-715 1944
- U-1006 1944
- U-1059 1944
- U-1062 1944
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All 704 wrecks of the Battle of the Atlantic →
Browse more: Asia wrecks · wrecks off Malaysia · Strait of Malacca · Second World War