Divers find Nazi aluminum speedboat on Greek seabed after 83 years
Divers have identified a rare Nazi-era German speedboat, the LS 6, resting upright on the seabed of the Ionian Sea near Preveza, Greece, 83 years after it sank in 1943. The 41-foot aluminum Leichtes Schnellboot is believed to be the only surviving example of its type, preserved roughly 315 feet underwater.
Greek technical divers and maritime historians announced the discovery earlier this month. The find is one of several German World War II naval wrecks recently located in European waters using modern sonar and deep-diving expertise.
Key Takeaways
- The LS 6 is a 41-foot Leichtes Schnellboot built by Dornier and commissioned in 1941.
- It rests near Preveza at about 315 feet, standing almost vertically on the seabed.
- A 13-year search used archives, sonar, and engine-room imaging to confirm the wreck.
- The boat sank on Sept. 29, 1943, while being towed for repairs after an air attack.
- Greek law protects wrecks older than 50 years, so exact coordinates stay undisclosed.
What Is the LS 6 and Why Does It Matter?
The vessel served in the Kriegsmarine, Nazi Germany's navy, as a Leichtes Schnellboot—German for "light speedboat." Built with an aluminum hull to cut weight, it was originally designed for torpedo work before being refitted for anti-submarine duty with depth-charge launchers.
According to researchers, the LS 6 may now be the only known surviving example of this experimental class. Its sister ship, the LS 5, did not endure the war. That makes the wreck a one-of-a-kind window into late-war German naval engineering.
How Did Divers Find the Wreck on the Seabed?
The search began in 2013 when maritime historian Peter Schenk shared archival records about a missing Kriegsmarine vessel in the Ionian Sea. Historian Giorgos Karelas and AegeanTec researchers later narrowed the area using historical documents.
Ship hunter Dimitris Giannoulatos detected an unknown object via sonar about 60 miles north of Lefkada, at roughly 315 feet. Technical divers Marinos Giourgas and Vasilis Spyropoulos descended to inspect it, finding the aluminum hull and superstructure remarkably intact despite more than 80 years underwater.
Footage from inside the engine room revealed two Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engines—a signature feature of the design. Remains of a towing cable at the bow helped clinch the identification, as reported by Popular Mechanics.
What Happened to the Boat in September 1943?
On Sept. 24, 1943, the LS 6 was traveling from Igoumenitsa to Corfu when it came under attack. Researchers now believe six Italian Reggiane Re.2002 fighter-bombers—flying for the Allies after Italy's armistice—damaged its light aluminum hull, though British aircraft were long blamed.
German forces tried to tow the crippled boat toward Piraeus for repairs. Five days later, on Sept. 29, the hull ruptured under strain. Water flooded in and the LS 6 sank near Mitikas, off Preveza—about 96 meters deep, according to German news agency reporting cited by Yahoo.
Why Is the Wreck So Well Preserved After 83 Years?
Experts say the LS 6 benefited from unusual circumstances. It was not obliterated in the air raid; instead it failed while under tow, which limited further destruction. The aluminum construction also resisted corrosion better than steel might have over decades on the seabed.
Under Greek law, shipwrecks that sank more than 50 years ago are protected historical monuments. Officials have kept the precise site confidential to discourage looting—an approach similar to how sensitive data assets are guarded in other high-value fields covered in our Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub.
The AegeanTec team called the dive "a journey through time." For historians, the upright wreck is more than a curiosity: it is tangible proof of a forgotten chapter in naval experimentation that vanished for 83 years.