A Nazi submarine which sank off the coast of North Carolina 72 years ago has been pictured for the first time, showing how the vessel has remained as a remarkably intact tomb for the 45 sailors onboard.

The U-boat, U-576, had been dispatched to the American coast to hunt Allied cargo ships.

Captained by Hans-Dieter Heinicke, it had been damaged during its months of activity in the Atlantic. And the submarine was limping home to Germany when, on July 15, 1942, it spotted a convoy of 24 ships.