U534, a former German U-Boat, is set to open as a new visitor attraction in February next year at the Woodside Ferry Terminal in Birkenhead, Wirral.

A visitor exhibition centre has been created at the site, containing artefacts from the U-boat. Interactive displays will also be available detailing the history of the vessel, which never saw active combat during the Second World War. The U-boat has been cut into five sections in order to enable it to be transported to its new home on the banks of the River Mersey, and glass panels will be installed at the end of each section to allow visitors the chance to view inside from specially-constructed walkways.

First launched in 1942, U534 was first used as a training craft in the Baltic Sea before being deployed to carry out meteorological reports. On 5 May 1945, the vessel was sunk by an RAF plane for refusing to surrender in accordance with German orders. Merseytravel, which owns the attraction, also operates the Mersey Ferries. Its chief executive, Neil Scales, said: "The Mersey Ferries are already the most popular paid-for attraction in our region and this development will reaffirm that position.

"The U-boat exhibition will also complement both the Resurgam, the world's first submarine, a full scale model of which is normally located on the north side of the ferry terminal, as well as the historic connection between the Mersey Ferries and U-boats through the 1918 Zeebrugge Raid." The model of the Resurgam is currently undergoing refurbishment.