This German U-Boat Wasn’t Taken Down By Enemy Fire, But By Its Own Toilet Gone Rogue
The German U-boat was mighty, stealthy, and formidable, but there was one that met its downfall due to something so simple you can’t help laughing about it a little. This submarine was taken down not by enemy fire, but by a toilet gone rogue. Here’s how it happened.
The catastrophe occurred on April 14, 1945, when the German U-boat U-1206 was located off Scotland’s Aberdeenshire coast.
The U-boats were originally developed during World War I. They were able to move underwater without being detected and unleash lethal firepower on enemy ships.
The Germans used U-boats to target both military and civilian vessels. In 1915, they attacked the passenger ship Lusitania, killing almost 1,200 people.
The newer types of subs, such as U-1206, were well-equipped with even more weapons. It also boasted a new plumbing system that allowed for additional storage space since the waste was directly released into the sea instead of stored in a large tank onboard the vessel. So, there was no reason to think that the improved model couldn’t handle a trip to the toilet.
U-1206 had just sailed out of Norway and was at a depth of 200 feet when disaster struck. Captain Karl-Adolf Schlitt went to the lavatory to relieve himself, but after finishing his business, he realized he didn’t know how to flush the toilet.
The plumbing system was new, so crew members had to be trained on how to operate it. Schlitt must not have attended the training, or he just became confused.
He called an engineer for assistance, who then proceeded to accidentally turn the wrong valve. Suddenly, the bathroom began filling up with feces and seawater.
Other accounts tell of Schlitt trying to flush the toilet himself and refusing to take responsibility for sinking the ship. Some theories claimed that the flush system only worked properly when the sub was near the surface.
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The plumbing issue also posed a serious problem, aside from the smell and contamination. The ship’s bathroom was located right above the battery compartment, so when the mixture overflowed, it caused a chemical reaction, creating chlorine gas.
Schlitt had to get the sub to the surface immediately. He even fired torpedoes to try to increase buoyancy. But when they surfaced, more misfortune was awaiting them.
Allied forces were in range, and they started firing at the U-boat. Schlitt abandoned U-1206, while 50 of his crew members were taken as prisoners of war.
About 10 men were able to escape but were later caught. Another four men were killed due to British attack or drowning.
Later, the wreckage of U-1206 was discovered in the 1970s by underwater oil pipeline workers. In 2012, a team of divers explored its remains.
They reported that the submarine was in relatively good condition after being submerged for more than six decades.
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