U-864 1945
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | U-864 | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1945 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | U-boat | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | War action | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nationality / flag | Nazi Germany | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Kriegsmarine | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | Battle of the Atlantic | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Norwegian Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Norway | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 25 km from land |
| Position | 60.7700, 4.5800 | Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0) |
About the wreck
German submarine U-864 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in World War II. On 9 February 1945, she became the only submarine in history to be sunk by an enemy submarine while both were submerged. U-864 was sunk by the British submarine HMS Venturer, and all 73 men on board died.
Diving & visiting
The wreck was located in March 2003 by the Royal Norwegian Navy two nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) west of the island of Fedje in the North Sea, at 150 m (490 ft). The mercury had been seeping out of rusted containers, contaminating the region and sea life. One study recommended entombing the wreck under a layer of sand, gravel and concrete. The Norwegian government instead awarded a contract to a salvage company to raise the wreck; however, the proposed operation was delayed pending additional studies.
Royal Norwegian Navy minesweeper KNM Tyr, alerted by local fishermen, discovered the wreck. An expedition to gather more detail by sonar mapping of the seafloor was mounted in October 2003.
The fragmented wreck contains 67 tonnes of toxic liquid mercury. Over time, toxic metal leakage has spread over an area of 30,000 square metres (7.4 acres).
Location
- Recorded position: 60.7700, 4.5800 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Norwegian Sea
- Nearest coast: Norway
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-864 (revision 1380260151), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Rediscovery”, “Environmental protection”; 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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Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Norway · Norwegian Sea · Second World War