How Divers Identified the Missing U-672 Submarine

A snorkel and other features helped divers identify the wreck as U-672, whose crew escaped after a Royal Navy attack in 1944.

HistoryOctober 22, 20263 min readHow Sureno writes this

The short version

Divers identified a wreck about 20 miles off Salcombe, Devon, as the German submarine U-672, after it was first found in August ¹.
The wreck lies about 230 feet below the surface; a snorkel and other visible features helped point to U-672 ¹².
HMS Balfour attacked the submarine in July 1944. Its 52 crew members scuttled it, and all survived ¹.
An error in the Royal Navy log’s recorded coordinates helped keep the wreck unidentified for decades ¹².

How did divers find the missing U-boat?

A deep-sea diving team from Portland found the wreck in August, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) off Salcombe, Devon, at a depth of roughly 230 feet (70 metres). The wreck had been treated as a possible sunken First World War sailing vessel, according to The Independent ¹².

The following month, members of the Plymouth dive team Gasperados visited to identify it. They examined the wreck and recorded video of its features. The team concluded that it was U-672 ¹².

What clues showed that the wreck was U-672?

The snorkel was a key clue. A snorkel is a tube that lets a submarine take in air while operating just below the surface. Gasperados diver Dominic Robinson also described seeing the conning tower and other features, while The Independent reported a steel propeller and remains of radar decoy equipment among the wreck’s details ¹².

No single clue is described as having settled the identification on its own. Rather, the divers compared what they could see with the suspected identity of the submarine and gathered video to support it ¹².

What happened to U-672 in 1944?

HMS Balfour attacked U-672 in July 1944. The submarine was damaged and left leaking underwater. Its commander waited before deciding to bring it to the surface, giving the crew a chance to escape ¹².

The crew scuttled the boat, meaning they deliberately sank it, after it had surfaced. All 52 crew members survived. British aircraft and vessels found them the next day, according to the BBC account ¹.

Why was the wreck missing for so long?

The Royal Navy log recorded incorrect coordinates for the sinking. The Independent says the recorded position was nearly 40 nautical miles from the wreck, while the BBC describes the coordinates as incorrect ¹².

That misplaced record helps explain why the wreck was not identified earlier. The sources do not give a full account of every search made over the years, so it would be too much to say the coordinates alone explain all of the delay.

What can the wreck reveal about the loss?

The visible equipment and structure help confirm the submarine’s identity and offer clues about its design and wartime technology. The snorkel and remains of radar decoy equipment are among the features reported by divers ¹².

The wreck also gives a physical point of comparison with the written account of the attack and evacuation. The sources do not report a detailed archaeological survey, nor do they say that the wreck has changed what is known about the crew’s survival. For now, its clearest contribution is helping identify the submarine that was lost in 1944.

What we don't know yet

The sources do not describe a full archaeological survey of the wreck or what further examination may reveal.
They do not explain in detail how the original mistaken coordinates entered the naval log.
The available accounts do not give a complete history of searches for the wreck before its discovery.

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Questions people ask

Where was the German U-boat found?

U-672 was identified about 20 miles (32 kilometres) off Salcombe, Devon. The wreck lies at a depth of about 230 feet (70 metres) ¹.

How did divers know the wreck was U-672?

A snorkel, conning tower and other features helped the Gasperados team identify the submarine. The team recorded video of the wreck as part of its examination ¹².

Did the crew of U-672 survive?

Yes. All 52 crew members survived after the submarine was attacked by HMS Balfour and scuttled in July 1944. British aircraft and vessels found them the following day, according to the BBC ¹.

Why was U-672 not found earlier?

A Royal Navy log gave incorrect coordinates for the sinking. The Independent says the recorded position was nearly 40 nautical miles from the wreck ¹².

Who identified the U-672 wreck?

A deep-sea team from Portland first found the wreck in August. The Plymouth-based Gasperados dive team examined it the following month and identified it as U-672 ¹.

Sources

Missing German WW2 U-boat discovered off Devon 82 years on — BBC News
Divers discover missing German wartime submarine – 82 years on — The Independent, 2026-10-21

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