Q&A ยท 39:15-39:28

Why surrendered U-boats had little scrap value

The glut of redundant ships and military equipment after the Second World War depressed the value of another submarine's recyclable metal.

Question

How much were the surrendered U-boats worth as scrap?

Short answer

Not much, because the end of the war put an enormous quantity of scrap onto the market at once.

Notes

The surrendered boats had little scrap value because the end of the war put a great deal of scrap onto the market. Their metal therefore joined an already abundant supply. No price estimate is given.