Submarine · 1941–1945 · Donegal, Ireland
U-155
Her first commander, Adolf Piening, gave his name to the Piening route across the Bay of Biscay, and in August 1944 command of the Type IXC boat passed to Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg, the youngest U-boat commander of the war.
U-155 surrendered at Fredericia in Denmark in May 1945, was moved to Loch Ryan that summer for Operation Deadlight, the Allied disposal of surrendered U-boats, and was sunk on 21 December 1945. Her crew kept meeting long after the war, and at their reunion in 1995 the RAF pilot who had once bombed her was among them.
A team led by the nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney found and identified her in 2001, sitting upright and largely intact; she lies in 70.5 metres of water.
- Type
- SubmarineGerman
- Year built
- 1941
- Lost
- 1945
- Length
- 76.8 m6.8 m beam
- Depth
- 70.5 m
- Location
- Donegal, IrelandInner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland
5 of 6 facts above are cited in Sources below.
Deeper than 143 of the 153 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1945 · Donegal, Ireland.
She was not lost in action. After her surrender at Baring Bay, near Fredericia, on 5 May 1945, she was transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland. On 21 December 1945, during Operation Deadlight, the Royal Navy sank her.
Built 1941; 4 years in service. Lost 1945.
Condition of the WreckLargely intact.
Intactness
Upright on the seabed and largely intact when she was located in 2001.
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 9.3° | 8.7° | 8.4° | 9° | 10.7° | 12.6° | 14.5° | 15.1° | 14.6° | 13.2° | 11.9° | 10.4° |
Additional Details11 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Nationality
- German
- Flag
- Germany
- Propulsion
- Diesel
- Loss date
- 1945
- Latitude
- 55.5714° N
- Longitude
- 7.5779° W
- Water body
- Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Largely intact
Sources and VerificationEvery cited fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Geological Survey Ireland / Marine Institute (INFOMAR)gsi.geodata.gov.ie · Official record6 facts
- National Monuments Service — Wreck Inventory of Irelandservices-eu1.arcgis.com · Official record5 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- uboat.netuboat.net · Secondary source3 facts
- wikidata.orgwikidata.org · Secondary source3 facts
- warhistoryonline.comwarhistoryonline.com · Secondary source2 facts
- Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · Background reading10 facts
Background reading is listed for context and is not counted as a citation for the facts above.
- INFOMAR Shipwrecks © Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- JPL MUR MEaSUREs Project. GHRSST Level 4 MUR Global Foundation Sea Surface Temperature Analysis (v4.1). PO.DAAC. https://doi.org/10.5067/GHGMR-4FJ04
- © Government of Ireland. National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
A further 5 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the U-155?
U-155 is the wreck of a submarine, off Donegal, Ireland, at 70.5 metres. U-155 was lost in 1945.
How deep is the U-155?
U-155 lies at approximately 70.5 metres, Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland, Donegal.
How did the U-155 sink?
The cause of the loss of U-155 is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1945.