Eighty-three years after slipping beneath the waves of the Ionian Sea, a rare piece of wartime history has finally been tracked down. Technical divers off the coast of Greece have located the remarkably intact wreck of the LS 6, a specialized light fast-attack boat operated by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Resting upright at a depth of 96 meters near Preveza, this 12.5-meter vessel is believed to be the only surviving example of its class on Earth.
Most people picture massive U-boats or heavy cruisers when they think of the German navy, but the reality of wartime engineering was far stranger. The discovery brings concrete answers to a maritime mystery that started back in September 1943. It also proves that stubborn archival detective work still beats random luck every single time.
Finding a tiny metal hull in the vast expanse of the Mediterranean isn't like stumbling across a reef. It takes decades of patience. The breakthrough came after a thirteen-year search spearheaded by Greek maritime historian Giorgos Karelas and the technical diving team AegeanTec.
The trail kicked off back in 2013 when German naval historian Peter Schenk handed over archival notes detailing the loss of a small Kriegsmarine craft in the region. Armed with vague depth records and approximate coordinates, local researchers poured over wartime logs. Wreck-hunter Dimitris Giannoulatos eventually flagged a promising sonar blip at 96 meters.
When divers Marinos Giourgas and Vasilis Spyropoulos finally descended to the target using closed-circuit rebreathers, they didn't find a scattered debris field. They found an upright, remarkably coherent submarine hunter standing proudly on the sandy bottom.
Engineering the Leichte Schnellboot
The vessel is officially known as a Leichte Schnellboot, or LS boat. While Allies typically referred to standard German fast boats as E-boats, these light variants were something entirely different. Dornier manufactured them using lightweight aluminum alloys and advanced aircraft-production techniques.
That construction choice is the main reason the wreck survived eight decades in such pristine condition. While standard Allied and German patrol craft relied heavily on wood or heavy steel that rotted or collapsed, the aluminum frame held its shape.
The boat displaced roughly 12 tonnes and could hit speeds up to 37 knots thanks to twin Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engines. Because they were only about 39 feet long, standard forward-firing torpedo tubes posed a physics problem—firing them would pitch the bow straight underwater. Engineers modified units like LS 5 and LS 6 for anti-submarine duties instead, equipping them with a stern depth-charge deployment system.
The Final Voyage in 1943
The end for LS 6 came during the chaotic fallout of the Italian armistice. On September 24, 1943, the boat was moving near Igoumenitsa toward Corfu when six Italian Reggiane Re. 2002 fighter-bombers ambushed the German formation.
Near-miss bomb explosions cracked the fragile aluminum hull and killed the craft's independent propulsion. Refusing to abandon the asset, the Kriegsmarine dispatched a minesweeper and a landing craft to tow the crippled vessel toward Piraeus for heavy repairs.
It never made it. On September 29, the mechanical stress of the tow line proved too much for the wounded hull. Water flooded the compartments, and the ship sank quickly off the coast of Mytikas.
What Divers Found Inside
Underwater inspections confirmed the ship's identity through undeniable physical evidence. A camera lowered into the engine room captured the distinct outlines of the Junkers Jumo diesels. More importantly, a heavy towing cable remains bolted to the bow, trailing across the seabed exactly where the wartime logs said it would.
Greek authorities protect any shipwreck older than 50 years as a historical monument. Because of this, the exact GPS coordinates of the LS 6 remain tightly restricted to prevent unauthorized salvage or looting.
If you are a technical diver planning deep excursions in the Ionian Sea, respect the legal boundaries surrounding war graves and protected heritage sites. For history enthusiasts, the survival of LS 6 offers an unprecedented look at experimental naval architecture that vanished before the war's end. Keep your eyes on maritime archaeology journals for the eventual release of documentary footage from the AegeanTec team.
