The German U-boat occupies a very dark chapter in history. Between World War I and World War II they were feared, a legitimate danger to practically any vessel plying through the Atlantic Ocean. Less a true submarine than a boat that could submerge when needed, the U-boats would run a diesel engine when surfaced and run electrically off of a bank of batteries when under water. Living conditions were less than ideal, with most U-boats unable to operate their toilets unless they were surfaced due to the pressure differential of the water. That, however, wasn’t an issue for U-1206. This late-WWII U-boat, a Type VIIC, had a new, high-pressure toilet system that could compensate for the outside pressure. However, the flushing mechanism was so complicated that a special technician had to operate it.

U-1206 sank on it’s first patrol. It hadn’t fired a shot in anger, and four crew had died: one when the submarine surfaced for the last time, once the Allied forces started attacking, and three who had drowned during the evacuation. U-1206 had been active for eight days when the sub sank, so the question had to be asked: what the hell happened?

The story is so unbelievable that it would almost be comical. U-1206 was 200ft underwater near Peterhead, Scotland when somebody had to use the can. That super-fancy new high-pressure toilet? That one that required a trained specialist to flush? Yeah…that’s where everything went absolutely wrong. According to the official report, a “misuse” of the toilet caused seawater to flood into the submarine. Since the toilet was located above the battery bank, as the water came in it flowed into the compartment, causing chlorine gas to leak into the air. Kapitänleutnant Karl-Adolf Schlitt surfaced the sub to vent out the gas, which exposed the submarine. As Allied forces started to bomb the sub, Schlitt ordered an evacuation and scuttled the sub. The forty-six men who survived were captured.