U-534

U-534 is a German submarine from the Second World War now displayed in Birkenhead. Built in Hamburg in 1942, it was launched in September and commissioned in December under Oberleutnant Herbert Nollau. One of only four surviving U-boats worldwide, it was cut into sections after salvage and moved to Woodside Ferry to become part of the U-Boat Story museum. The submarine was sunk by a Royal Air Force bomber on 5 May 1945 in the Kattegat, 20 kilometres northeast of the Danish island of Anholt. In August 1993 it was raised from the seabed and brought to Birkenhead. The boat never sank any enemy ships during its service. It carried the rare Twin 3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U anti-aircraft gun, one of the best of its kind in the Kriegsmarine. U-534 also deployed the electric G7es torpedo, an acoustic weapon designed to home in on Allied noise-makers. Above the propeller shaft was a Pillenwerfer, a device that released bubbles to confuse enemy sonar. The submarine had a complement of forty-eight men when it went down. Visitors see the submarine cut into five sections, allowing a clear view of the interior. One section contains a restored G7es torpedo, displayed alongside the hull. The control room and engine spaces are open to inspection, showing the MAN diesel engines and Siemens electric motors. The submarine’s anti-aircraft guns and torpedo tubes are visible in their original positions. Outside, the surrounding dock area provides space to examine the sections from all sides.