Stern View of the Wilhelm Bauer

A Study of the Wilhelm Bauer

I had the great opportunity to spend a few hours in Bremerhaven, Germany back in August 2018. This is both a major seaport on the North Sea, and home of the German maritime Museum. For me, the greatest exhibit there was the WWII era Type XXI submarine “Wilhelm Bauer.” The only surviving sub of the Type XXI U-boat class, she was commissioned as U-2540 in February 1945. In March 1945 she was scuttled by her crew in the North Sea as Germany surrendered. In 1957 the sub was salvaged, renovated, and placed back into commission as a training sub renamed Wilhelm Bauer. She was ultimately decommissioned in August 1968 and turned over to the German Maritime Museum, open for public display.

Here are a few photos of this wonderful submarine.
Ron Charest

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Video Clip

This is a short video I created of the Wilhelm Bauer, which includes both exterior and interior views.

Wilhelm Bauer, Bremerhaven, Germany, August 2018

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