Clerical error helped keep sunken German U-boat hidden off British coast 82 years

A paperwork mistake kept the German World War II submarine U-672 hidden off Britain’s coast for more than eight decades, British divers and a German historian said. German war historian Axel Niestle, who helped the British Gasperados Dive Team locate the U-672 in the English Channel, told the BBC that the vessel went unrecorded because a “clerical error in the documents” listed its position about 46 miles away from where it actually sank. The submarine was discovered again in August at roughly 230 feet underwater. Divers said that once they started examining the wreck’s features—such as the snorkel and conning tower—they had enough evidence to identify it. The U-boat was attacked by HMS Balfour on July 18, 1944, about 175 miles southwest of London; 52 sailors scuttled it and survived, later recovered alive by British aircraft and vessels.