German WW2 submarine U-672 found off Devon coast 82 years after sinking
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In brief
Divers have identified the wreck of the German submarine U-672, which sank in the English Channel on 18 July 1944, lying roughly 20 miles off Salcombe, Devon. A German U-boat historian says a clerical error in wartime records placed the sinking site about 46 miles from its true position, which is why the wreck went unlocated for 82 years.
A team of British divers has confirmed the identity of a German Type VIIC submarine, U-672, resting on the seabed about 20 miles (32km) off Salcombe, Devon, at a depth of roughly 70 metres (230ft). The vessel sank on 18 July 1944 after a British attack during the Second World War, and its exact position had gone unrecorded for 82 years.
How the wreck was identified
The wreck was first spotted in August 2026 by a deep-sea diving team based in Portland. The Plymouth-based dive group Gasperados, led by Dom Robinson, 55, then descended to the site to confirm what it was. Before the dive, the wreck had been assumed to be a sunken First World War-era sailing vessel.
Robinson's team identified distinctive features, including a snorkel system and the shape of the conning tower, that pointed to a Type VIIC U-boat rather than an older sailing wreck. German U-boat historian Axel Niestlé, who assisted the team, then matched the find to U-672.
The clerical error behind decades of confusion
According to Niestlé, the submarine's recorded loss position in wartime documents was roughly 46 miles (74km) away from where it actually sank. He attributed the gap to "a clerical error in the documents," which meant earlier searches for U-672, including an earlier attempt by Robinson's own team, looked in the wrong stretch of seabed.
Due to a clerical error in the documents, the recorded position was some 46 miles (74km) from the actual position.
— Axel Niestlé, German U-boat historian
What happened to U-672 in 1944
U-672 was a Type VIIC U-boat commissioned on 6 April 1943 at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Hamburg, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Ulf Lawaetz. It served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla and later the 6th U-boat Flotilla, completing four war patrols without recording any confirmed sinkings of Allied vessels.
On 18 July 1944, the British frigate HMS Balfour attacked and heavily damaged U-672 in the English Channel, north of Guernsey. With the submarine taking on water faster than the crew could pump it out, Lawaetz ordered the vessel to surface after dark and had it scuttled.
All 52 crew members escaped into life rafts and were recovered the next day by British aircraft and vessels before being taken to a prisoner-of-war camp. Lawaetz survived the war.
Record versus reality
Wartime record vs. 2026 discovery
Detail
Wartime record
2026 discovery
Reported position
Roughly 46 miles (74km) from actual site, per Niestlé
Confirmed off Salcombe, Devon
Wreck depth
Not verified at the time
About 70 metres (230ft)
Assumed identity before diving
Unidentified / thought to be a WWI sailing wreck
Confirmed as U-672 via snorkel and conning-tower features
Crew fate
52 crew unaccounted for in public record of the site
All 52 survived, became prisoners of war
Questions
Which U-boat was found off Devon?
The wreck has been identified as U-672, a German Type VIIC submarine that sank on 18 July 1944.
Why did it take 82 years to find U-672?
U-boat historian Axel Niestlé says a clerical error in wartime documents recorded the sinking position about 46 miles (74km) from where it actually occurred, misleading earlier searches.
Who found the wreck?
A Portland-based deep-sea diving team first spotted it in August 2026, and the Plymouth dive group Gasperados, led by Dom Robinson, confirmed its identity with help from historian Axel Niestlé.
What happened to U-672's crew?
All 52 crew members survived the scuttling. They escaped by life raft, were recovered by British aircraft and vessels the next day, and were taken to a prisoner-of-war camp.
How did U-672 sink?
The British frigate HMS Balfour attacked and heavily damaged the submarine in the English Channel north of Guernsey on 18 July 1944, after which its commander ordered it scuttled.
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