The U-Boat U16: Salvage creates controversy and new insights!

The U-Boat U16: Salvage creates controversy and new insights!

A piece of military history recently surfaced: the imperial submarine U16, commissioned in 1911, was recovered after more than a century at the bottom of the sea. How MDR According to reports, the historic submarine sank off the island of Scharhörn in 1919 while on its way to Great Britain. Now, more than 100 years later, it has come back into focus, and for good reason.

The recovery, which was carried out in September 2023, was due to safety concerns. The condition of the wreck was more than worrying. Lower Saxony's state archaeologist Henning Haßmann found that the submarine was badly decomposed and was essentially just a shell filled with contaminated sediments. “Normally, such wrecks are not lifted because there is a risk of something going wrong during recovery,” explained Haßmann, and that is exactly what happened: When being pulled up, the U16 broke into two parts.

Salvage and Wet Heritage

The Matador 3 floating crane, with a lifting capacity of 1,800 tons, was used for the delicate task. The city administration, the salvage companies and archaeologists came under criticism because the wreck was lifted without permission from the Federal Real Estate Agency (BIMA). At a press conference in Cuxhaven, like NDR reported, the different perspectives of authorities, politicians and scientists were examined.

Despite the controversy, there is good news: about a quarter of the wreck will be exhibited in various museums. The middle fuselage with tower will be on display in the Vehicle and Technology Museum in Benneckenstein from Easter 2026. In addition, the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden will receive the two front torpedo tubes and the “Aeronauticum” in Nordholz will receive a large segment from the top of the aft ship. There are also small parts for the German Naval Museum in Wilhelmshaven and the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg.

Scientific analysis and history

Valuable research results must also not be left behind. Scientists from the University of Magdeburg and the Clausthal University of Technology plan to analyze the submarine's material in detail to learn more about the Imperial Navy's manufacturing techniques. “It was exciting to see how contemporary the construction was back then,” said Haßmann, who also emphasized that many innovations on the part of the Navy were only inadequately documented Ingenieur.de reported.

In conclusion, the recovery of the U16 not only raises questions about our maritime history, but also makes us think about how to deal with such monuments. Experts suspect that the majority of the submarine will ultimately not be preserved, but documented and scrapped. This decision has received mixed reactions, but remains a practical step for financial reasons.