Museums
It’s 5 May 1945 and the Third Reich’s military resistance is crumbling. Orders are dispatched to all of the surviving German U-boats instructing them to head for Norwegian ports where they can be used as bargaining chips in surrender negotiations.
But Herbert Nollau, the 26-year-old captain of the U-534, ignored these orders, with disastrous consequences.
The U-boat was spotted by the Allies, without the black surrender flag, hastily retreating to Norway. As soon as it surfaced, the Coastal Command Liberator aircraft swooped down and bombed the vessel with depth charges.
The U-534 was mortally wounded, and began to sink by the stern. Astonishingly, the captain and 49 of the 52 crew members survived – including five who made their daring escape via a torpedo hatch.
The U-boat lay forgotten on the seabed for more than 40 years until 1986 when it was discovered by a diver, near the Danish island of Anholt.
In 1993 the vessel was lifted to the surface in the presence of eight of its surviving crew and four of the airmen from the Liberator. Today, the U-534 – which is one of only four surviving U-boats in the world – is the star attraction at the U-boat Story exhibition in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
Visitors can navigate their way around the German vessel, now in four sections with glass partitions, and observe its ghostly interiors. One section shows the control room which housed the periscope as well as the ballast pump which was used to extract any water that got into the boat. The hydroplane controls, used to manoeuvre the boat when diving, are visible on the starboard side.
The forward torpedo room section commands attention with its four giant torpedo tubes, while the crew quarters offer an unsettling insight into what life was like for the young men serving on board. A cramped galley area, dry store and refrigerator can be made out easily.
A nearby building houses an exhibition which strikes the right balance between fun and informative. Visitors are invited to play the periscope game, crack the Enigma code, discover how a U-boat ascends and descends in water, and take on the role of a hydrophone operator who had the daunting task of identifying sounds of the sea. Personal stories of the crew are displayed alongside some of the artefacts found on board, including board games and handguns. There’s also a poignant film documenting the U-534’s discovery and salvage operation.
When the boat was discovered, hopes were high of uncovering treasure or secret Nazi documents on board, but apart from loads of silt and unstable ammunition nothing of any significance was found. Yet, as you walk around this fascinating exhibition there’s a prevailing sense of there being more to this story than meets the eye.
Was the U-boat on a secret mission, perhaps heading for South America with a highly ranked Nazi on board? The one person who held the answers was the captain, but he committed suicide just a few years after the incident – ensuring that the mystery remains to this very day.
The U-boat Story invites you to come up with your own conclusions.
U-534 facts
- Commissioned: 23 December 1942
- Built: Deutsche Werft in Hamburg
- Type: IXC/40 long-range, ocean-going U-boat
- Diving depth: 200m
- Emergency diving: 35 seconds
- Dimensions: Length 76m, beam 6.9m
- Motors: 2 x 2,200hp and 1,000hp
- Fuel: 214 tonnes diesel
- Surface speed: 18.25 knots
- Submerged speed: 7.25 knots
5 things to see
Don’t get lost in translation
Put your cryptography skills to the test with the Enigma machine.
Can you spot the enemy?
Man the periscope and scan the views across the Mersey.
Peer into the past
Take a closer look at the U-boat’s four corroded sections.
Exhibition tour
Join a guided visit to find out more about the U-boat’s history.
Ferry on the Mersey
Make a day of it by buying a combo ticket and cruise around on the ferry.