Hunting New England Shipwrecks

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U-234 surrendering to the USS Sutton (DE-771) on 14 May 1945	U-234 (right) and U-873 (left) at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1945

Shipwreck Data
Vessel Name	U-234
Other Names
Vessel Type	German Submarine (WW-II)
Owner	German Navy
Length / Beam / Draft (feet)	294' / 30' /
Tonnage	1,791 (surfaced)
Hull Construction	Steel
Propulsion	Diesel / Electric / Screw
Cargo
Built	1941-1943 at Kiel, Germany (Krupp)
Date of Loss	November 20, 1947
Reason for Loss	Surrendered to the U.S. Navy in 1945 (see below) and deliberately sunk by the USS Greenfish during sea trials in 1947.
Fatalities	None
Location	Northeast of Cape Cod (MA), Approximately 40 miles offshore
Coordinates (Lat/Lon)
Coordinates (Loran C)
Water Depth (feet)	Approximately 600'
Typical Visibility (feet)
Wreck Condition
Diving Considerations	Too deep for recreational divers
Other Information	The U-234 was surrendered to the U.S. Navy on May 14, 1945, at the end of WW-II. It was taken into custody by the USS Sutton and towed to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Other U-boats that ended up at Portsmouth were the U-505 (captured in 1944), U-873 (surrendered), U-805 (surrendered) and U-1228 (surrendered). The U-505 was later towed to Chicago for display at the Museum of Science and Industry. The other surrendered U-boats were later broken up, or sunk in deep water off Portsmouth.