Editing Operation Deadlight (section)

==Salvage proposals==
In the late-1990s, a firm applied to the British Ministry of Defence for salvage rights to the Operation Deadlight U-boats, planning to raise up to a hundred of them. Because the U-boats were constructed in the pre-atomic age, the wrecks contain [[low-background steel|metals that are not radioactively tainted]], and are therefore valuable for certain research purposes. The ministry awarded no salvage rights, due to objections from Russia and the U.S., and potentially from Great Britain.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/20/secondworldwar.northernireland|title=Raise the U-boat: council plans to put Nazi sub in maritime museum|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831225711/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/20/secondworldwar.northernireland|archive-date=31 August 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> {{irrelevant citation|date = January 2020|reason = Article references a different salvage}}

Between 2001 and 2003, nautical archaeologist [[Innes McCartney]] discovered and surveyed fourteen of the U-boat wrecks;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboat.net/gallery/DivingE/
 |title=Operation Deadlight Expedition phase 1 |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboat.net/gallery/DivingF |title=Operation Deadlight Expedition phase 2 |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net}}</ref> including the rare [[Type XXI U-boat]] ''[[U-2506]]'', once under the command of [[Horst von Schroeter]]; the successful [[Type IXC/40 submarine|Type IXC U-boat]], {{GS|U-155|1941|2}} commanded by [[Adolf Piening]] and ''[[U-778]]'', which was the most promising salvage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Budanovic |first1=Nikola |title=‘The Most Intact U-Boat Wreck I’ve Ever Seen’ U-Boat Hunter Dr Innes McCartney |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/u-778-the-story-of-submarine.html |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=War History Online |date=25 April 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Derry City Council]] announced plans to raise ''U-778'' to be the main exhibit of a new maritime museum.<ref name="Bowcott">{{cite news |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |title=Raise the U-boat: council plans to put Nazi sub in maritime museum |work=The Guardian |date=20 August 2007 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/20/secondworldwar.northernireland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831225711/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/20/secondworldwar.northernireland |archive-date=31 August 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> On 3 October 2007, an Irish diver, Michael Hanrahan, died whilst filming the wreck as part of the salvage project.<ref>{{cite news |title=Team to recover U-boat diver body |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=3 October 2007 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7025213.stm |access-date=21 November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227103651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7025213.stm |archive-date=27 December 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In November 2009, a spokesman from the council's heritage museum service announced the salvage project had been cancelled for cost reasons.<ref>{{cite news |title=Costs sink plan to raise U-boat |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=12 November 2009 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/8356157.stm |access-date=25 November 2009}}</ref>