German submarine U-534

U-534 at Birkenhead Docks in March 2007
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-534
Ordered	10 April 1941
Builder	Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg
Yard number	352
Laid down	20 February 1942
Launched	23 September 1942
Commissioned	23 December 1942
Fate	Sunk by aircraft on 5 May 1945 Salvaged on 23 August 1993 Museum ship since 10 February 2009
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × MAN (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nuremberg) 9-cylinder 4-stroke M9V 40/46 diesel engines with Büchi superchargers 2 × electric motors
Speed	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 23 December 1942 – 31 May 1943 2nd U-boat Flotilla 1 June 1943 – 31 October 1944 33rd U-boat Flotilla 1 November 1944 – 5 May 1945
Identification codes:	M 49 357
Commanders:	Kptlt. Herbert Nollau 23 December 1942 – 5 May 1945
Operations:	3 patrols: 1st patrol: 8 May – 13 August 1944 2nd patrol: a. 25 August – 24 October 1944 b. 25 – 28 October 1944 c. 1 – 2 May 1945 3rd patrol: 5 May 1945
Victories:	No ships sunk Two British aircraft shot down

German submarine U-534 is a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. She was built in 1942 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder by Deutsche Werft AG as yard number 352. She was launched on 23 September 1942 and commissioned on 23 December with Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Nollau in command.

U-534 is one of only four German World War II submarines in preserved condition remaining in the world, the others being the IXC boat U-505 in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the VIIC/41 boat U-995 at the Laboe Naval Memorial near Kiel and the XXI boat U-2540 in Bremerhaven.^[1]

U-534 was used mainly for training duties; during her service she sank no other ships. A Royal Air Force bomber sank her on 5 May 1945 in the Kattegat 20 kilometres northeast of the Danish island of Anholt. U-534 was salvaged on 23 August 1993 and was moved to Woodside Ferry, Birkenhead to form the 'U-Boat Story' museum. This attraction opened on 10 February 2009 and closed in 2020.

In October 2021, ownership of U-534 transferred to Big Heritage, operators of the nearby Western Approaches Museum.^[2]