Nazi sub wreck found off Java

German submarines were part of a Monsoon Group force during WWII seeking to cut logistical supplies from Asia to Britain.

German submarine (File: Wikimedia Commons)

The wreckage of a German World War II submarine has been found off Indonesia's Java island, an archaeologist says.

Archaeologists explored the wreckage of the submarine last week in the Java Sea following information from fishermen, said Adhityatama Shinatria, a diver from Indonesia's National Centre of Archaeological Research.

The type of submarine - believed to be either a U-168 or a U-183 - could not be identified because the hull number was not found, he said.

"What is certain is that it's a U-boat which sank at the end of World War II," Shinatria said.

Divers found tableware with Nazi insignia made by Jaeger & Co and Rieber Mitterteich, he said.

He said a four-day exploration of the site was halted on Sunday because of poor weather.

According to Shinatria, a U-168 sank after it was torpedoed by the Dutch in 1944, while a U-183 was attacked by US forces in 1945.

The German submarines were part of a Monsoon Group force seeking to cut logistical supplies from Asia to Britain, he said.