HISTORY

DURING WORLD WAR-II GERMANY HAD MANY U-BOAT FACILITIES AROUND EUROPE KNOWN AS U-BOAT PENS. FOR PROTECTION AND SAFETY THEY WERE MADE OF HEAVY CONCRETE CONSTRUCTIONS TO HARBOUR THESE U-BOATS.

SEVERAL OF THESE PENS WERE LOCATED ALONG THE GERMAN COAST LIKE IN THE BALTIC SEA. TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR ALLIED FORCES INCREASINGLY ATTACKED AND DESTROYED THE GERMAN U-BOAT SHELTERS.

PRESENT

TILL TODAY DESTRUCTION OF THESE FACILITIES IS UNDER WAY. MANY OF THESE PENS WERE BUILT IN WATER DEPTHS COMFORTABLE FOR U-BOATS TO SAIL IN AND OUT OR EVEN TO SUBMERGE. SOME OF THE PENS STILL HARBOUR REMAINS OF U-BOATS.

DANGERS AND RISKS

IN MOST CASES THE SITE APPROACH, ENTRY AND EXIT WITH DIVE EQUIPMENT IS A DIFFICULT TASK AND RISK IN ITSELF. ADDITIONAL, CHANGING CURRENTS, TIDES, SURF AND SWELL CAN ALTER THE ENVIRONMENT DURING THE DIVE.

ALTHOUGH RELATIVELY SHALLOW, DIVES IN DESTRUCTED U-BOAT PENS ARE DANGEROUS. OVERHEAD ENVIRONMENT, LOW VISIBILITY, SHARP METAL REMAINS, INSTABILITY OF CONSTRUCTION AND U-BOATS AND POSSIBLE CORRODING WEAPONS AND AMMUNITIONS HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED.

SITE LOCATION BALTIC SEA

TWO LOCATIONS ARE AT ECKERNFOERDE - BALTIC SEA. ONE IS ABOUT 100 METERS FROM SHORE TOWARDS THE SHIPPING CHANNEL WITH LOTS OF CONCRETE RUBBLE AND NOT TO INTERESTING. NEARBY IS A MODERN U-BOAT BASE AND SOMETIMES DURING THE DIVE OR A SURFACE SWIM A MASSIVE SUBMARINE LEAPS OUT OF THE WATER. 

THE OTHER PEN CAN BE REACHED FROM A SAND SHORE AND NEEDS SOME SWIMMING. OFTEN THE BEACH SURF IS DIFFICULT TO MASTER AND SOMETIMES THERE ARE STRONG CURRENTS. 

THIS PEN CAN BE PENETRATED THRU SOME TIGHT CRACKS AND FOR A FEW METERS IT IS POSSIBLE TO DIVE AROUND AVOIDING SOME METAL SPIKES AND DEBRIS. THERE IS LOTS OF SMALL MARINE LIFE TO OBSERVE ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

SITE LOCATION RIVER ELBE, HAMBURG

VERY INTERESTING BUT ALSO A DIFFICULT PEN IS IN THE MIDDLE OF HAMBURG'S HARBOUR. 

CLIMBING HIGH AND STEEP RUBBLE ONE CAN SQUEEZE UNDER THE COLLAPSED ROOF OF THIS MASSIVE CONCRETE SHELTER. 

AT RIVER LEVEL AT SPECIFIC TIDES SOME CORRODING U-BOATS CAN BE SEEN LAYING ORDERLY NEXT TO EACH OTHER. 

MINIMUM DIVE EQUIPMENT WAS NECESSARY TO GET THERE AND ONLY WITH HELP WAS AN ENTRY AND EXIT POSSIBLE.

USUALLY WATER VISIBILITY IS ABOUT 0.5 METERS WITH MINIMUM WATER TEMPERATURES BELOW 10C.