German Naval Charts

This map brings a collection of historical German naval charts into a modern geographic setting. The original charts have been georeferenced so that they can be explored alongside a present-day map of Britain, Ireland and the surrounding seas.

The collection includes charts at several different scales. Broader charts remain available underneath regional and detailed charts, so the best available historical coverage remains visible as the map is enlarged.

Why put the charts on a modern map?

A scanned chart is useful as a historical document, but georeferencing it makes the geography much easier to investigate. Coastlines, patrol areas, minefields, reported positions and routes can be compared directly with their modern locations.

This is part of a wider Wrecksite project looking at German naval activity around Britain and Ireland during the First and Second World Wars. The chart collection can be explored alongside submarine patrol tracks, war diary positions and other contemporary material.

This section of Wrecksite is a work in progress. Charts and contemporary naval records are being added, georeferenced and checked as the project develops.

U-90: 14 November – 10 December 1917

The map currently includes a reconstruction of U-90's patrol between 14 November and 10 December 1917. The route is accompanied by recorded positions derived from the surviving patrol record.

The reconstructed line connects those positions to make the course of the patrol easier to follow geographically. It should therefore be read as a reconstruction between recorded positions rather than as a continuous record of the submarine's exact track.

Historical charts and modern geography

These are historical charts and should not be expected to align perfectly with modern mapping. Distortion in the original paper, scanning, historical surveying and the georeferencing process can all introduce differences.

Their value here is not as modern navigational charts, but as geographic historical documents. Once placed back into their approximate real-world position they provide a useful framework for exploring contemporary naval records and reconstructing activity at sea.

What comes next

Further submarine patrols, reported positions and other information from contemporary records can be added as the project develops. Where the surviving evidence allows it, this may also include mine-laying operations and other events.

These records can then be viewed directly against the charts available to German naval forces at the time, rather than only against a modern map.

Using the map

Use the chart opacity control to compare the historical mapping with the modern basemap underneath. The U-90 patrol switch turns the reconstructed patrol route and recorded positions on or off independently of the charts.

Wrecksite.uk is provided for historical, educational and research purposes only. Historical charts, positions and geographic information shown here must not be relied upon for navigation or other operational purposes.

Special Projects

Special Projects is where Wrecksite.uk goes beyond the main wreck map. It brings together historical material best explored geographically: naval charts returned to their original locations, reconstructed ship and submarine tracks, minefields, operational areas and related records.

Some projects cover a single event. Others follow a ship, submarine or group of records across a wider area. The aim is not to write another general history, but to put the surviving geographic evidence back into context and make it possible to explore directly.

The evidence is not exact. Original surveys, wartime records, paper distortion, scanning and modern georeferencing can all introduce uncertainty. Special Projects will grow as more material is researched and mapped.

Battle of Jutland, 1916

This project reconstructs the geographic setting of 31 May–1 June 1916 rather than retelling the battle. It combines ship and formation tracks, German U-boat patrol areas, Allied and German minefields, and contemporary German naval charts.

The layers can be viewed separately or combined. This makes it possible to follow particular vessels through the battle while retaining the wider operational context: the routes of the opposing fleets, the areas assigned to German submarines, and the mine hazards shaping movement through the North Sea.

Ship tracks

Each named ship or formation has its own track and colour. Expand the ship-track layer to switch individual tracks on or off, or use the show-all and hide-all controls to move between the full reconstruction and a focused selection. Clicking or tapping a track identifies it.

These are historical reconstructions, not GPS-like records. Their accuracy is limited by the surviving source material.

U-boat patrol areas and minefields

German submarines were deployed ahead of the operation. The areas shown represent assigned patrol or reconnaissance areas around the battle, not a submarine's precise position or movement throughout the operation. The minefield layer places Allied and German fields in the same view, showing hazards that shaped the routes available across the North Sea.

This is a developing project. Tracks, patrol areas, minefields and charts will be refined as further contemporary material is located, researched and checked.

Historical charts and modern geography

The German naval charts have been georeferenced and placed beneath the reconstruction. More detailed charts appear as the map is enlarged. Fade them against the modern basemap to compare contemporary German mapping with present-day geography. Historical surveying, paper distortion, scanning and georeferencing mean they will not always align perfectly with the modern coastline.

Using the map

Expand the Battle of Jutland controls, then open the project group to control minefields, U-boat patrol areas and ship tracks independently. Expand Ship tracks again to select individual vessels. The German naval charts have separate visibility and opacity controls for comparison with the modern basemap.

Wrecksite.uk is provided for historical, educational and research purposes only. Historical charts and geographic information shown here must not be relied upon for navigation or operational use.