The Nazi Navy: A Guide to the Laboe Naval Memorial and German Submarine U-995

(8 reviews)

Kiel audio tour: The Nazi Navy: A Guide to the Laboe Naval Memorial and German Submarine U-995

This is an indoor tour

Kiel

Germany

$9.99

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About the Tour

Explore the Laboe Naval War Memorial and WWII German Submarine U-955 on this self-guided tour that takes you into the heart of the museum. You’ll journey into Kiel’s World War I and II naval history, and find out about the last German Kaiser’s impact on the city. You’ll also hear about the rise and fall of the German Imperial and Nazi navies, and how Kiel’s sailors helped bring WWI, and the German monarchy, to an end.

Our tour starts outside the main entrance and gift shop, and while it doesn’t include entry to the museum, it’s designed to enhance your experience. You’ll gain valuable insight into the exhibits around you and discover parts of the memorial that you might never find on your own, including the flag room and model ship museum. You’ll also hear how incredibly tough the conditions aboard WWII submarines were, and gain new appreciation for the fresh, clean air that Laboe enjoys.

On this tour, you can look forward to:

Taking in incredible views from the observation deck on top of the memorial tower, and seeing all the way to Denmark
Sampling a fish roll by the sea, a local favourite
Learning about the construction of the Kiel Canal, the most used man-made canal in the world
Appreciating the sombre tomb-like reflection space dedicated to all those lost at sea
Exploring the WWII submarine and seeing the inner workings of the engine room, crew quarters and torpedo room
Hearing about the Battle of Jutland that claimed the lives of 10,000 sailors in just 24 hours

Allow 60 minutes for the tour and any extra time you may want to stop and enjoy the sunshine on the neighbouring Laboe beach. This tour is the perfect half-day excursion whether your cruise is stopping off in Kiel, you simply find yourself in Kiel for the day, or you’re a curious local wanting to know more about the city’s naval history.

Tour Producer

Kirk Wilson

2 tours

I’m a New Zealander who chased a beautiful girl to Germany, accidentally stayed, and somehow became a professional guide along the way.

I founded Kiel Walking Tours in 2016 to help the tourists I kept seeing wandering around looking for the good bits of the city. Since then I've guided thousands of cruise passengers, students, and visitors just like you through the city.

I’m not a historian with a head for dates, but rather a storyteller shaped by my day job as an intercultural communication and language lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Kiel. I spend my days helping people make sense of unfamiliar places and cultures and hope that carries through into my guiding as well.

My tours are good for a laugh, and if I've done my job right you just might learn a thing or two along the way, all without having felt like you've sat through a history lecture.

Preview Location

Location 13

Life onboard the submarine

I'm going to tell you a wee bit about this submarine U-995, known in German as an U-Boot, literally and underwater boat. I'm not a technical expert, so instead of rambling about all the technical details, I'd like to share with you what life was like onboard to give you a sens... I'm going to tell you a wee bit about this submarine U-995, known in German as an U-Boot, literally and underwater boat. I'm not a technical expert, so instead of rambling about all the technical details, I'd like to share with you what life was like onboard to give you a sense of how it would have been as a crew member, so when you head inside for a closer look you can imagine how it was for the submariners in the Second World War.

Imagine you're a local, fresh faced blue-eyed boy from Kiel, Dieter, it's 1941, war in Europe has been raging now for three years but Kiel is not yet on the radar of the allied bombs, so you live in the city with your family. War by this time is not all weaponry and the horror of the front line. But rather something more mundane. It's become the background noise to your daily life and mostly about getting what you need for you and family to eat, drink and stay warm. On your 18th birthday you are conscripted immediately to the navy, but this isn't a problem because you've been waiting for this moment. Your chance to fight for your country. You pack your bags and head to the local barracks to report for training. In 1942 this submarine is launched, from a shipyard in Hamburg, not too far from here. And Dieter will be aboard for her inaugural trip.

The U-boats primary mission was to destroy merchant vessels carrying supplies to allied forces in order to hinder their war efforts. Attack the supply chain. And win the war. And this submarine was successful.

Usually there were 45 men on board. But sometimes up to 59. And once you're onboard you'll get a sense at how utterly ridiculous this number is. Dieter and all crew members were allowed one cubic foot of space onboard for their personal belongings. That's 30 cubic centimetres. Absolutely tiny. About the size of your average birthday cake. For all your personal possessions. Enough for a couple of books at best.

On board there is no place to be comfortable, stretch your legs, and relax from your strenuous shift, except perhaps the bunk bed, which you have to share with your mates. The crews worked in three shifts, which meant the bunk beds were 'hot'. Shared on rotation, by three men, and in use 24 hours a day. The work is monotonous and cramped. Three times a day you get to wolf down your meal cowered in the tiniest of spaces, usually standing, and the food was mostly served cold. Sleep was on an ever soggy bunk bed, the sweat of three men soaking the bedding, and soon it is time to report back to duty. Some crew members cuddle the torpedos, like lovers, the cold steel offering some respite from the heat of life on board. The next shift begins. There is no water for bathing, no showers, no shaving, no getting out of your clothes for the entirety of the trip. You sleep and work in the same clothes for the entire duration of the voyage. For a minimum of three weeks, but sometimes up to five months.

All the crew were packed into the very tight space on board beneath the sea along with the equipment, machinery, weapons, and food provisions. To make up for the lack of space, food is stored in the toilet, hung from the pipes in the torpedo room. Rows and rows of dried meat. There is a permanent stench. A mix of diesel, sweat, cigarettes, hydraulic fluid, dried meat, and sewage. Those of you with teenage sons know how stinky they are after one day. This was worse.

For weeks at a time, Dieter doesn't get a chance to step outside onto deck to catch a glimpse of the sun and inhale any fresh air. Submarines usually stayed submerged to depths of 230 m (750 ft) during the day and could only surface at night, so most crew would never see natural light for the duration of their tour. In fact, many of the technicians never even get to see the bridge, and simply live, sleep and eat in the engine room, breathing diesel fumes. Once the submarine had been down in the depths for the day after running its diesel engines for hours and hours, the boat would quickly heat up. The engine room temperature could soar to over 35 degrees Celsius, that's 100 degrees Fahrenheit, before spreading throughout the sub. Combine that with the 50 or so men working and breathing, and the air inside could quickly become bad. In fact, the men knew the air was getting bad when they had trouble lighting their cigarettes due to the lack of oxygen. They had to surface every night for air. And if they were under surveillance they would have to find a way to surface anyway, or else they would suffocate. In a nutshell, life aboard is exceedingly unpleasant and unhealthy. Sweat, and condensed air drips from the pipes and ceiling incessantly. It tainted the food. And the water. And there was no escape. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the cockroaches.

On top of all that, the fear is permeable. Everyone on the ship is on constant red alert. There are mines and submarine traps, rough forces of the stormy seas, biting cold from the Atlantic when they surface, and blazing heat from the engine room when on a deep dive, not to mention the enemies' destroyers hunting you. Torpedos at this time were even known to circle back, lock on and sink the ship that had fired it.

Dieter and his crew mates have balls of steel. After a quick shore leave for resupply and shift to a base off the west coast of Norway, under German control, they return to the sub for another tour. And then another. And then another. Before their luck will likely run out. Of the 1,162 German U-boats of the Second World War, 785 were destroyed in battle. A 70% chance of death. The job of a submariner one of the most dangerous of the war. But Dieter and this submarine survive and the boat is surrendered to the Norwegians at the end of the war on 8 May 1945.

Inside you'll have to imagine Dieter's life and that of his crew mates. Today the submarine is clean, and shiny. Diesel fumes still linger ever so slightly, but the incessant dripping sweat from the pipes above and scuttling cockroaches on the floor below are no longer there.

Inside you'll see the engine room, the control room, the galley where the food was prepared, the radio room, crew bunks, and finally the torpedo room. Imagine cuddling up to one those torpedoes at bedtime. Please note the submarine is not at all wheelchair accessible, and you will have to bend and climb through the various compartments.

When you're ready head up the ramp on the left hand side to enter the submarine and better inspect the inner workings. There will be someone in the little shed to check your ticket. It's pretty tight in there, and so I recommend taking out your headphones while inside so you can hear people trying to get by you if need be. Spend as much time inside as you'd like and once you back out again choose the next track. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Laboe Naval Memorial
U-995 Submarine
Laboe Beach
Naval Memorial
German submarine U-995
Laboe-Strand

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Strandstraße 92, 24235 Laboe, Germany
Total distance

822m
Final location
Strandstraße 92, 24235 Laboe, Germany
Distance back to start location

86.26m

Directions to Starting Point

The Laboe Naval Memorial and WWII Submarine are located in the resort town of Laboe which sits at the mouth of the Kiel fjord and is approximately 30 minutes by car from the Kiel city centre.

This tour starts directly from outside the main entrance to the Laboe Naval Memorial. The address is 92 Strandstrasse, 24235, Laboe.

From Kiel you can reach Laboe by ferry, taxi or bus.

Access via ferry:
You can take a ferry to Laboe directly from the centre of Kiel. The ferries leave from the Seegarten pier right next to the main cruise ship terminal Ostseekai and take just under an hour to reach Laboe. From the Laboe ferry terminal, it is an easy 20 minute walk to the Naval Memorial and Submarine.
Check out www.sfk-kiel.de/en/ferries/fjord for ferry times and prices.

Access via taxi:
A taxi from Kiel to Laboe will take about 35 minutes and depending on traffic will cost between €30 - €40 each way. Tell the taxi driver you want to go to the 'Laboe Ehrenmal' (Ear-rin-mal).

Access via bus:
From bus stop outside the main Kiel train station take Bus #14 to the Laboe Harbour.
Check out www.kvg-kiel.de/en/ for bus times and prices.

Access via car:
Park your car at the main Laboe Memorial car park on Professor-Munzer-Ring, 24235, Laboe. It is a 3 minute walk down the hill to the Naval Memorial and Submarine entrance.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

After exploring the naval memorial and submarine why not try a traditional north German delicacy for lunch - a fish roll They are available from many of the vendors along the main beach as well as directly across the road from the main entrance and gift shop.

Best time of day

The Laboe Naval Memorial is open all year round except Christmas Eve and New Years' Eve.

Opening times:

1 April - 31 October 9am - 6pm

1 November - 31 March 10am - 4pm

Precautions

There are a lot of stairs in the main memorial tower, so while I recommend taking the stairs to fully experience the chasming abyss beyond the stairwell, there is also a lift for your convenience.

Be aware that the inside of the submarine is very narrow, and requires climbing through various compartments on board. If you have any mobility issues, I recommend appreciating the submarine from the outside.

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4.9 / 5

8 Ratings

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