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U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer

Museums ·Bremerhaven ·Closed
4.64K
#1Museums in Bremerhaven
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About

U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer is a technology museum aboard the real Second World War submarine U-2540, at Van-Ronzelen-Strasse 1 in Bremerhaven’s museum harbor. It is the only Type XXI submarine open to visitors worldwide.

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U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Submarine moored among historic sailing ships in the harbor

U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Submarine moored among historic sailing ships in the harborU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Submarine alongside the long waterfront buildingU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Submarine seen from the bow with sailing ships behindU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — View along the submarine's bow and narrow hullU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Close view of the conning tower and upper hullU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Submarine control room with instruments, gauges, and operator's chairU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Torpedo room with circular hatches and equipmentU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Narrow interior passage crowded with pipes and machineryU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Engine room with machinery, pipes, and metal walkwaysU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Crew bunks and wooden lockers in a compact cabinU-Boot Wilhelm Bauer — Galley area with cooking equipment and tiled floor

Why go

  • Type XXI submarines could carry out wartime missions almost entirely underwater, unlike earlier submarines.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 18:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 18:00
Tuesday10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday10:00 – 18:00
Thursday10:00 – 18:00
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday10:00 – 18:00
Sunday10:00 – 18:00

Don't miss

  • Conning towerRestored to its 1945 commissioning appearance during the 2020–21 shipyard stay; its outer fairing is a dummy.Exterior, conning tower
  • Replica cannon mountA replica twin cannon mount is fitted to the submarine.Exterior
  • Entrance exhibitionThe entrance-area exhibition was revamped for the 2011 season.Entrance area

Know before you go

  • Opening hours: Open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 during the season; closed from 11 November through 14 March.

What's inside

  • Visitors pass through the submarine’s cramped interior, entering through a doorway cut into the hull and leaving through a second doorway.

With kids

  • Ask children to spot the folding forward diving planes, which are clearly visible on the submarine’s exterior.

Tips for your visit

  • For questions before your visit, call the museum on +49 471 4820710.

Interesting facts4

1/4
  1. 76.70 metres

    The submarine is 76.70 metres long and 8 metres wide.

    German submarine Wilhelm Bauer - Wikipedia
  2. 52 men

    Its crew complement was five officers and 52 men.

    German submarine Wilhelm Bauer - Wikipedia

  3. Its wartime armament included six bow torpedo tubes and four anti-aircraft guns.

    German submarine Wilhelm Bauer - Wikipedia
  4. 1943

    It was ordered on 6 November 1943.

    Unterseeboot 2540 - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

In April 1945, U-2540 went to Rønne on Bornholm for front-line training. When fuel shortages stopped training, it moved to Swinemünde.

  1. 1944Construction began at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
  2. 1945Launched in January and commissioned in February, U-2540 joined the 31st U-boat Flotilla for training and never went on patrol.
  3. 4 May 1945Its crew scuttled it near the Flensburg lightship.
  4. 1957Raised in June and towed to Kiel for refitting.
  5. 1960–1968Served the Bundesmarine as a research vessel and test boat.
Show all
  1. 1970–1980Returned to experimental service with a civilian crew, testing technical developments for Type 206 submarines.
  2. 1980An underwater collision with destroyer Z-3 made it unfit for service.
  3. 1983Acquired for museum use and moved to the Seebeck shipyard for restoration.
  4. 1984Opened as a museum ship in Bremerhaven.

How to get there

  • BusFrom Bremerhaven’s main train station, take bus 502, 505, 506, 508 or 509 to Hochschule Bremerhaven/Stadttheater. The museum harbor is within sight and walking distance of the stop.

Sources: German submarine Wilhelm Bauer - Wikipedia · Start-EN - Uboot Wilhelm Bauer - Technikmuseum … · History - Uboot Wilhelm Bauer - Technikmuseum B… · Wilhelm Bauer (U-Boot) - Wikipedia · Unterseeboot 2540 - Wikipedia · U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer: description (its own site) · checked 12 Oct 2026

Where
Van-Ronzelen-Strasse 1, Bremerhaven

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Who was Wilhelm Bauer?

The submarine is named after inventor Sebastian Wilhelm Valentin Bauer, designer of the Brandtaucher, the first German U-boat.

Did U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer have another postwar name?

It was renamed Wal before refitting began in November 1958 for its Bundesmarine test role.

Why does U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer sit so high in the water?

Its batteries were removed, making it sit higher.

How many torpedoes could U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer carry?

It could carry 23 torpedoes, or 17 torpedoes and 12 mines.

Has U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer appeared on television?

It featured in a 2016 episode of Nazi Megastructures about Type XXI design and construction.

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