U-995 view from the top of Laboe Naval Memorial tower (Marine-Ehrenmal) Laboe, Germany.
Well friends, one of the photos of which I feel most proud,...no joke, believe me.
First, hard negotiations with my wife at Kiel, after the OK to go, a travel by bus between Kiel and Laboe hafen of almost 50 minutes and more than 20 stops before Laboe, cold like hell ( real feel -4 deg.) at sea level, strong wind, and then light rain, but... still a 1350 meters walk between the bus stop and the ticket office-entrance to the Memorial and U995(no taxi available at the moment). After more than one hour walking around the Memorial different rooms and spaces, that I enjoyed with all due respect, I went to the Tower (a real fast,fast elevator) and up 80 meters to the "lower" top. A complete 360 deg. beautiful but foggy view around, but no way to see complete the U995 because the high metal fence above the wall all around the observation platform,...so I went to the top-top observation deck by the stairs (like 2 floors above) When I opened the door the cold and strong wind and of course light rain strucked me. No cover all around that top platform so just I tried to take some shots with the camera high over my head and through the metal fence spaces. Trying not to tremble or move the camera because of the wind and the cold. So when I finish (after taking around 10 shots at all) I run away down to cover. Nobody else at the elevator, lower top and open top Tower observation platforms.
I finished my visit to the Tower and I rested at the tower base for few minutes ( recovering...). Then I went to visit the U995. After almost 3 hours ( total time visiting the Memorial, Tower and U995),I went back to Kiel the same way (with the same bad weather, with the same 1350 meters walking back, with the same 50 minutes bus ride and so on...), to find out the my wife in the meantime, enjoyed a hot spa session and shopping time at Kiel (thats why negotiations still works for me)
Details: Bus line 100 Kiel Hbf. to Laboe Hafen 3,20 Eu each way. Tickets (Kombi-Karte) 9,50 Eu (both, U995 and Memorial) Open from 1000-1600 hours (season: 1 Nov-28 Feb) different for other seasons. Souvenirs at Tickets-Office shop: not that much related to U995, no U995 mugs, but a couple of things.
Didnt mentioned before but I didnt check the shots but until my return to the Kiel hotel...I was praying all the way back...jeje, and the result was not bad at all.
The U995 its a "must" for submarine lovers. I enjoyed the visit like a kid. Its well maintained and interesting at all.
Hope you like the shot.
Better quality at Full screen (2048 pix)

U995 data:
Ordered: 14 October 1941
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number: 195
Laid down: 25 November 1942
Launched: 22 July 1943
Commissioned: 16 September 1943
Class and type: Type VIIC/41 submarine
Displacement: 759 tonnes(747 long tons)surfaced
860 tonnes (846 long tons) submerged
Length: 67.10 m / 50.50 m pressure hull
Beam: 6.20 m / 4.70 m pressure hull
Draught: 4.74 m
Power: 2 Diesel engines x (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp)
2 Electric motors x (550 kW; 740 shp)
Propulsion: 2 shafts
Speed: 17.7 knots surfaced / 7.6 knots submerged
Range: 8,500nm.at 10 knots surfaced
80nm.at 4 knots submerged
Test depth: 230 m(750 ft)/Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted.
Armament: 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes(4 bow,1 stern)
14 ×torpedoes
FLAK: 1 single 3.7 cm Flak M42U gun and 2 pair of
twin Flak 38 20mm "Flakzwilling"
Service record
Part of: Kriegsmarine 5th U-boat Flotilla (Training), 16
September 1943–31 May 1944
13th U-boat Flotilla(Front Boat),1 June 1944–28
February 1945
14th U-boat Flotilla(Front Boat),1 March–8 May 1945
Operations: 9 patrols
Victories: 3 ships sunk for 1,560 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk for 633 GRT
1 warship sunk for 105 tons
1 ship a total loss for 7,176 GRT
At the end of the war on 8 May 1945 she was stricken at Trondheim, Norway. She was surrendered to the British and then transferred to Norwegian ownership in October 1948. In December 1952, U995 became the Norwegian submarine Kaura and in 1965 she was stricken from service by the Royal Norwegian Navy. She then was offered to the German government for the ceremonial price of one Deutsche Mark. The offer was turned down; but the Boat was saved by the German Navy League, DMB, where she became a museum ship at Laboe Naval Memorial in October 1971.