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U-Boat U16: Salvage causes excitement and specialist criticism!
After the recovery of the U-boat U16 off Scharhörn in September 2025, archaeological practices have come under criticism.
U-Boat U16: Salvage causes excitement and specialist criticism!
The recovery of the submarine U16, which sank off Scharhörn in 1919, caused excitement and criticism in the archaeological community. On November 11, 2025, it was announced that the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) had salvaged the wreck in September 2025 - but without the necessary approval from the Federal Real Estate Agency (BIMA). During the salvage, the submarine broke into two parts, which not only alarmed the experts but also met with harsh criticism. According to Hamburg's state archaeologist Rainer-Maria Weiss, the procedure should be viewed as "bungled" and an "illegal snap action" because the recovery was not professionally supervised and important regulations were ignored, such as geo.de reported.
The use of a floating crane for recovery resulted in part of the wreck now lying on a pontoon in Cuxhaven. The spokesman for the Commission for Underwater and Wet Soil Archaeology, Jens Auer, also expressed incomprehension about the statements made by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), which justified the salvage as a safety measure for shipping. It was emphasized that the principle of site loyalty should have priority when preserving monuments.
Planned exhibitions and disintegration of the wreck
About a quarter of the recovered wreck will be exhibited in various museums. This includes:
- Der mittlere Rumpfteil mit Turm im Fahrzeug- und Technikmuseum Benneckenstein, Sachsen-Anhalt.
- Die Bewaffnung im Militärhistorischen Museum der Bundeswehr in Dresden.
- Ein großes Segment der Oberseite des Achterschiffs im Aeronauticum in Nordholz.
- Ankerkette und Kleinteile im Wrack- und Fischereimuseum „Windstärke 10“ in Cuxhaven.
- Kleine Teile in weiteren Museen, darunter das Deutsche Marinemuseum Wilhelmshaven, das Internationale Maritime Museum Hamburg und das Hamburger Museum für Archäologie.
The experts fear that the recovery, which led to oxidation and decomposition of the material, will significantly limit further research opportunities. While full conservation and display is considered too costly, the remainder of the wreck is available for research or may be scrapped. Auer and other archaeologists emphasize that the monuments should be better preserved in their original location.
Legal aspects and future course of action
In addition, ownership of the wrecks is legally assigned to the Federal Republic of Germany. BIMA has made it clear that wrecks should normally be left in their locations. The press conference in Cuxhaven provided further information about what will happen next with the recovered parts of the submarine. Compliance with archaeological standards remains a central issue in this debate about underwater historical heritage.
The recovery of the submarine U16 opened a chapter in maritime history, the consequences of which will likely be discussed for a long time. There is disagreement in the archaeological community about how valuable such measures actually are and whether they comply with the necessary standards, as NDR also reports that criticism of the recovery continues: ndr.de.