3D Scan Reveals Secrets of Sunken WWII Nazi Submarine

Hel Peninsula, Baltic Sea, adjacent which the German U-670 submarine was recovered underwater. Credit: Adam / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

A elaborate 3D scan has unveiled caller insights into a WWII Nazi submarine mislaid successful the Baltic Sea, shedding airy connected the wreckage of the German U-670, a Type VIIC U-boat that sank during a grooming workout successful 1943.

The underwater imaging reveals antecedently unseen structural harm and preserved features of the sunken vessel.

The U-670, portion of Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine fleet, was discovered astatine a extent of 80 meters (262 feet) adjacent Hel, a constrictive sandbar disconnected the bluish seashore of Poland.

The submarine had gone down aft a collision with the people vessel Bolkoburg, resulting successful the deaths of 21 unit members. It was not until 2013 that divers from Baltictech located the wreck, confirming its individuality 2 years later.

Photogrammetry reveals cardinal structural details

In a caller underwater survey led by researcher Bartłomiej Pitala, astir 10,000 photographs were utilized to make a 3D photogrammetric exemplary of the site.

The scan exposed respective cardinal details: the guardant torpedo loading hatch remains open, the stern’s extremity is missing, apt damaged successful the collision, and the conning operation is entangled successful fishing nets. Pitala reported that capturing the images required 50 minutes of enactment connected the seabed, with the afloat dive lasting implicit 3 hours.

3D exemplary aft archaeological survey of German U-boat U-670 laying 85 meters successful the Baltic Sea

The wreck is successful cleanable condition, with unfastened guardant torpedo loading hatch, and a tiny portion of the stern breached successful a collision with a grooming people ship.#underwaterarchaeology pic.twitter.com/QDtMWehxKy

— Nacho CrL (@Nacho_crl) September 10, 2025

3D photogrammetry, the method utilized successful the survey, creates close integer models from overlapping two-dimensional images.

Unlike laser scanning, this method reconstructs shape, scale, and aboveground texture by analyzing ocular information from aggregate angles. The effect is simply a realistic and measurable 3D practice of analyzable underwater sites.

History and specifications of U-670

Originally constructed astatine the Howaldtswerke shipyard successful Hamburg, the U-670 was launched successful 1942 nether the bid of Oberleutnant zur See Guido Hyronimus. The submarine displaced 769 tonnes (848 abbreviated tons) and measured 67.10 meters (220 feet) successful length.

Two Germaniawerft F46 diesel engines powered the sub, and it was susceptible of diving to depths of up to 230 meters (755 feet).

At the clip of its operation, the U-boat could question 8,500 nautical miles connected the aboveground and 80 nautical miles portion submerged. It was assigned to grooming missions earlier its untimely extremity successful the Baltic.

The high-resolution 3D imaging offers a uncommon look astatine the structural integrity of a WWII Nazi submarine decades aft it sank. For maritime historians and researchers, the findings supply some method penetration and a stark reminder of wartime losses preserved beneath the sea.