Narvik · Norway · Wreck
Hermann Künne
The propeller is gone but the rudder still stands out from her side
Photo: Vidar Hoel · CC0
Z19 Hermann Künne was run aground at Trollvika, near Bjerkvik in Herjangsfjord, after her captain misread the signal to retreat, then scuttled once her ammunition was gone. The wreck starts at the low-water line and runs down to 40 m, so the same 125 m hull gives either a shallow dive or a deep one, and her rudder still stands out from the side.
Also known as Z19 Hermann Künne.
Where it is and how deep
68.5236° N, 17.4236° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck starts where you get in. The Hermann Künne rests on her starboard side from the low-water line down to 40 metres, so there is steel under you from the shallows onward and the dive is shaped by how far down the slope you choose to follow her: a shallow pass along the upper hull, or a run to where she finishes on the bottom. Trollvika is well north of Narvik itself, in Herjangsfjord, so it is a separate outing rather than a stop on a harbour day.
Details from the ship are to be found everywhere along the 125.1 m hull. The propeller has gone, but the gigantic rudder is still there, sticking out to the side, and it is the feature most divers photograph. Many fish live in and around the wreck. Local accounts rate her a fine subject for photography and a wreck suitable for divers at all levels of experience, which the profile bears out: the shallow end is a straightforward dive and only following her down turns it into a serious one.
Wreck diving on the Künne is permitted, and it remains forbidden to remove anything lying in or around her. That matters more here than on a deep hull, because everything worth seeing is within easy reach: she runs into the shallows, she can be dived from the shore, and the fittings that make her worth photographing are only still there because divers have left them alone.
The wreck
- Vessel
- German destroyer Z19 Hermann Künne
- Type
- Destroyer
- Length
- 125.1 m (410 ft)
- Built
- 1939
- Sunk
- 1940
- Cause
- Grounded at Trollvika after her captain misread the retreat signal, then scuttled
- Lies
- Resting on her starboard side from the low-water line down to 40 m at Trollvika, near Bjerkvik in Herjangsfjord
Hermann Künne was laid down on 5 October 1936, launched on 22 December 1937 and commissioned on 12 January 1939. On 13 April 1940 her captain, Lieutenant Commander Friedrich Kothe, misunderstood the signal to retreat and headed north into Herjangsfjord, running the ship aground in Trollvika near Bjerkvik; she was scuttled there once her ammunition was expended, to keep her out of British hands. The hull has been dived ever since, and it is still forbidden to remove anything from in or around it.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Narvik: Jun–Sep is the main season with long daylight; winter diving happens but with polar night and heavy ice on the fjord edges.
Know before you go
- The hull runs down a slope to 40 m, so it is easy to follow details deeper than intended; set a turn depth before you get in rather than deciding it on the wreck.
Photos from Hermann Künne
Vidar Hoel · CC0
Royal Navy official photographer · Public domain
Dive videos
Z19 Hermann Künne - wreck diving in Narvik · nurkowaniebiz on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can less experienced divers dive the Hermann Künne?+
Local accounts call her suitable for divers at all levels of experience, and the profile is the reason: the wreck starts at the low-water line, so the shallow end is a straightforward drysuit dive. The hull runs to 40 m, though, and following it that far is a different dive needing deep and cold-water experience.
Is the Hermann Künne a shore dive?+
It can be reached by car or by boat, about 30-40 minutes for the 30 km from the centre of Narvik. Driving down to the water means passing a boom on the old national road to Harstad, so contact Narvik Sports Divers Club or Bjerkvik Divers Club before you go.
Sources
- German destroyer Z19 Hermann Künne — Wikipedia
- NARVIK – Norwegian Eldorado for wreck-divers — X-RAY Magazine
- Battles of Narvik — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Aerial drone view of the Hermann Kunne wreck as a dark shape in shallow turquoise water off Trollvik by Vidar Hoel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of a rocky, tree-lined shoreline with the wreck faintly visible in the shallows at low tide by Vidar Hoel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black-and-white 1940 photograph of the destroyer Hermann Kunne burning in the fjord after being scuttled by Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Cold-water diving: is it worth the drysuit?Cold water · 8 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 8 min read
More dive sites in Narvik
Wreck
Both propellers and the rudder still lie under her stern
Three German destroyers in one dive, between 12 and 24 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Five wrecks and a scatter of dinghies on one dive
Wreck
Birkenfels
Belgian North Sea · Belgium
A virtually intact ore carrier lying flat on the bottom far off the Belgian coast
A 1918 torpedo loss at 36 to 38 m on clean sand
A wartime wreck at 40 m with boxes of anti-aircraft heads at the bows